Unravelling
by DarkPoltergeist
Summary: Han and Leia have worked hard to have a happy life after the fall of the Empire but the shifting of galaxy powers and the power of the force in their lives can unravel even the strongest of bonds…
1. Chapter 1

I own nothing all rights belong to Disney, Lucusfilms, and whoever else is involved.

 **Unravelling**

By Dark Polergeist

 **This is an AU story set between ROTJ and TFA.**

 _ **Summary: Han and Leia have worked hard to have a happy life after the fall of the Empire but the shifting of galaxy powers and the power of the force in their lives can unravel even the strongest of bonds…**_

 **AN** : Han and Leia are my favorite characters. It irritated me to no end to see the fate that this set of filmmakers had decreed for them. The only reason they were broken up is that the film industry in general has an unwritten but widely accepted belief that a happily committed couple is boring and that people won't watch. I completely reject this notion as committed couples often have relationship issues and work through them and in a story/script it would be called good writing (rather than taking the easy way to create drama by splitting up the happy couple).

 _And the two of them having a psychopathic son that went dark?_ Not explained. And I'm sure they had some failings as parents (who doesn't?) but not enough to warrant Ben turning into a monster because he wants to be like his grandfather Darth Vadar.

 _The split of Han and Leia._ I can wrap around the fact that things could have been too painful for the two of them after Ben went dark and killed the others at Luke's school. If anything could break up a strong marriage that is probably it, but even with that I would expect them to get back together.

 _Han being a smuggler._ I reject this too. He'd have to have a damn good reason to go back to this after he had grown so much. No reason given in the movie.

 _Luke disappearing:_ Again, a good reason is needed – why would Luke do this?

 _Rey's parentage._ For this story and the one after this, Rey is a Solo. There are many reasons I feel this could be true and I will touch on them at the end of this story or the beginning of the sequel to this: _Unfinished Business_. (Bloodlines doesn't count in my reasoning of this because the filmmakers wouldn't want Rey's heritage revealed before the next movie comes out no matter that she is a Solo or a Skywalker, in my opinion, and thus they would simply tell the author that subject was off limits and to exclude it from the book; happens a lot).

I was so dissatisfied with TFA that I wrote a story called _**Unfinished Business,**_ _an AU Post TFA SW fiction._ And then I realized I had too many flashback scenes in it; so, I removed them and put them in a new document with the intent that I would sort and use the relevant scenes. Instead this story evolved which leads into _**Unfinished Business**_ which will be posted after this story is complete.

So, trying hard to make lemonade from the lemons Disney has left me; I hope you like it. And yes, now I'll shut up so you can read the story. _Please review and thanks for reading._

 **UB – Unravelling**

 _By Dark Poltergeist_

 **Chapter One**

 **Eight years after Endor**

After a long mission that kept Han away from his family for two weeks, Chewbacca sat down in the cockpit beside Han and began to go through the checklist with him, sensing his friend's eagerness to be on his way. They finished in record speed and with a shoulder squeeze, thanking Chewie for his help, he left the Falcon to return home to Leia and Ben.

Twenty minutes later he palmed the lock on their door and let himself into their suite.

"Leia? Honey, I'm home," he called in a teasing tone.

The apartment was quiet, really quiet. Han frowned and called again.

"Leia?"

He dropped his duffle bag to the floor and finally looked at the room around him, it was lit by candlelight, a chilled bottle of what he assumed was wine sat on the table, a place setting for two, and the smell of something wonderful cooking in the kitchen.

Unbidden, his stomach rumbled in annoyance, reminding him that in his haste to return he hadn't eaten in a very long time. Curious, he wandered into the kitchen and lifted the cover off of a catered meal. Nerf steak medallions, Corellian spicy rice, and Aldaarian vegetable soup. He also spotted dinner rolls, and some sort of dessert hidden under a silver cover.

If he wasn't so anxious to see his wife, he'd probably start eating without her, he thought as his stomach rumbled again.

Clearly she wasn't coming out so it was up to him to find her. He started in the most logical place, their bedroom, but she wasn't there. He searched the apartment and discovered, much as he suspected, that Ben was out for the evening. _But where was his wife?_

Some instinct, maybe the unseen bond they seemed to share urged him to look out of the glass door to their large balcony, and he saw Leia reclining against the balcony rails, watching him, a smirk on her face.

Grinning, he opened up the door and stepped into the cool evening air.

"Hey, Princess," he noted she was wearing a sheer cream colored dress that showed off her toned legs, lovely derriere, shapely hips, small waist, curvaceous breasts, and a beautiful face which had him mesmerized from the first moment he laid eyes on her

"Flyboy. Took you long enough to figure it out."

"Are you expecting someone?" He teased.

"Well, there's this pilot I've been seeing…"

"Do tell." He said, as his eyes raked over her, filling with love and desire as his gaze grew warmer. Still they hadn't touched. It was a game they played, allowing their desire to build between them without touch until they drove each other mad; there was never a cumulative winner as their percentages somehow seemed to even out.

"He's extremely handsome, but a bit of a rogue." She said is a most serious manner.

"And this rogue, does he treat you well?"

"Very well."

"I see. Do you love him?" The passion in Han's eyes had turned them a deep green, and they twinkled in amusement.

"Yes. He's a bit of a thief as well."

"Oh?" Han arched an eyebrow at Leia.

"Because he's stolen my heart and won't give it back."

"I know why he did that," Han whispered in her ear, his cheek barely moving a few wisps of hair.

She shivered feeling his warm breath on her neck. "Why?"

"Because your heart is invaluable, there is nothing more precious to him." Han smirked, but his expression grew serious. "Maybe the only way I thought I could get your heart was if I stole it from you." He finally stepped so close that they were now touching from head to toe. "And I have no intention of giving it back to you."

"I don't want it back," she murmured.

"It's a fair trade. You took my heart a long time ago."

They stared into each other's eyes, lost in the feelings of love, warmth, and desire as they somehow felt their feelings heating between them, their love washing over each other in waves. Han reached out and took Leia's hand in his, rubbing small circles on it, relishing the simple act of touching her as they continued their silent communion

Leia smiled as she reached out with her other hand and placed it on his cheek, and she opened her force enhanced connection to him and pushed her feelings of desire at him.

He gasped as a wave of lust overtook him and stimulated his already noticeable arousal. "You're cheating," he growled

"I have to do something to get you…stimulated," she gave him a mild look of reproof.

"Oh, like that is it, Princess?" He gave her a lewd grin and pulled her against him as he kissed her fiercely.

Han broke his lips from where they had been sealed with hers, and stared into her deep brown eyes. "What did I ever do to deserve you?" he murmured between soft kisses.

"You saved me…in so many ways."

Unable to speak, he allowed his emotions to flow back to Leia, and the depth of his love for her was reflected in his eyes. She dropped her head for just a few moments trying to absorb it all, and when she gazed back into his eyes he saw the brightness contained within.

He raised a questioning eyebrow; how did she want to be loved tonight? Slowly and sweetly? Or hot and heavy?

"How much stamina do you have, Hotshot?"

"Sweetheart, you know the answer," he said smugly.

"So you can go all night?" She gave him an amused look.

"Is that a challenge? I thought you already knew about the stamina of Corellian men, and some of our secrets."

"Secrets?" Now Leia raised an eyebrow as she regarded her husband. "Are there secrets to your mating ritual you haven't told me about?"

"Mating ritual?" Han laughed. "I wouldn't call it that, but you know from experience how quickly I recover, and I have mountains of stamina." He leaned forward and began to nuzzle her neck. "I haven't heard you complain."

"Not complaining," she drew back and regarded him thoughtfully. "It's nice out here, isn't it?"

"Yeah, great." He gave her a puzzled look before a smile slowly spread across his face. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Leia blushed, just a little.

"The dress is beautiful, but what do you have underneath it?" Han breathed, his imagination beginning to run away with him.

"Why don't you find out?" Her brown eyes twinkled with playfulness.

"Princess, we're out in the open."

"We're unspeakably high up, no one from the street can possibly see us, it's night, and I'm willing to risk it."

"We could make the tabloids, Can you see the headlines?" He paused and smirked at her. "Princess Organa impaled by General Solo on balcony."

"That would be Princess Organa Solo. Impaled? Really?" Leia openly laughed at him. "Maybe 'Princess Organa Solo ravished by a Pirate in Public' would be a better headline?"

"A pirate? Really? That's what you think?" There was a definite edge to Han's voice as he suddenly closed in on her, his arms on the railing on either side of her. "I'm going to claim my booty." With a well-practiced move, he smoothly burrowed his hand under her dress, lifting it as he discovered she wasn't wearing any underwear. "I'm shocked, your Worship."

Leia giggled and his heart soared at the sound. How did she manage to turn him into a gibbering pile of mush with a laugh?

His fingers found the folds of her core and began to gently massage her as he stepped close and pulled her back against him, softly grumbling in her ear. He nuzzled her neck as she began to moan and leaned into him.

"Like that, Sweetheart?"

Her low throated moan nearly did him in as she began to rub against his groin, and she was so wet already, he knew she was ready for him. Her hand reached back and rubbed against the front of his pants and he groaned as he pushed against her.

"Gods, Leia!"

They continued to mercilessly, lovingly, torture each other until Han finally swatted her hand away and released himself from his pants, and with a smile for him, Leia gripped the railing as Han lifted her dress out of the way and he slid inside of her. They both moaned at the delicious joining of their bodies, the almost sinful pleasure they evoked in one another.

Within moments their rhythm accelerated and Han was thrusting into her with an undeniable vigor that was starting to rattle the railing which Leia clung to; just as his pattern became erratic she cried out and found herself closing around him, tightening in bliss as he finished and held her to him, their breath slowly evening out.

They clung to the railing and each other for a few moments, until she turned in his arms and placed a sweet kiss on his lips, lingering just long enough to make it sensual.

"You're amazing," he whispered.

"Didn't expect this, did you?"

"Not at all." He studied her with amused eyes. "What's the occasion? Not that I'm complaining, but you haven't been this…wanton in a while."

"Think about it, Han. My hormones are in overdrive."

He blinked, not yet connecting the dots.

"This has happened before. I mean, I always want you, but now I really, really want you and what you can do for me."

He remained silent, but blinked at her again, but now she could see the wheels turning in his mind. She waited and watched him patiently.

He narrowed his eyes and stared at her and she saw him swallow with some difficulty. "Leia, are you saying…are you?"

"Yeah." She bit her lip.

"How long?"

"Early, maybe four weeks." She shrugged. "I confirmed it while you were gone."

"You knew before I left?"

"I suspected. I didn't want to tell you until I knew for sure."

"Well, damn, Sweetheart. I'm going to be a father again!" Han was grinning from ear to ear. He picked her up and held her tight as he spun her around, putting her down only when she started to squeak in protest.

"I love you, Leia, Gods but I love you!"

"I love you too. And our daughter is going to love her Daddy too."

"Daughter?" Han was back to blinking at her. "A girl? We're having a girl?" He yelped in happiness and Leia was sure that the entire apartment complex heard him.

"Shhh," she tried shushing him. "Calm down. We have done this before."

"I'm allowed to be excited, so you can stop shushing me!" He tried to scowl but it was nullified by the constant grin on his face.

"Come on, Flyboy, I need some dinner."

As if on cue, Han's stomach growled loudly, but he appeared only slightly embarrassed. "What? I haven't eaten since this morning."

"Then I'd better feed you."

"Oh? Plans for me Princess?"

"Lots of plans for you tonight. And I'm starving."

"Well, you are eating for two."

"I'm going to be fat again," she complained as Han took her hand and led her into the apartment.

"You'll be beautiful," Han corrected, and shut the doors behind them.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa 

Han couldn't sleep despite two rounds of energetic sex, he was wide awake and staring at his wife, feeling incredibly mushy.

"You're amazing," he whispered.

"So are you," she murmured, startling him, and then laughed at his startled expression. "Han, what is it?"

He studied her, his expression filled with both love and concern. "It's just that…" He frowned and stopped.

"Han!"

"It's just that…well, are you sure?"

"Sure of what? That I'm pregnant?" She rubbed her abdomen. "Very sure."

"No, not that, I mean of course you'd know that." He sighed.

"What so hard to say?"

"Leia, you haven't wanted another baby. We're both on contraceptives."

"I noticed that." She offered him a soft smile. "It's true I didn't, we didn't plan this. It's true I've been hesitant about having another child, especially since we know Ben has some issues. And it's true I'm still concerned about my bloodline."

Han's expression was serious as he studied his wife. "Will you keep her? I mean, you know I won't force you into anything, but…"

"Han, I couldn't get rid of her now if I wanted to, she's too much a part of me. Of us. And this is going to sound strange, but I can feel you, and me within her, the parts of us that make her. It wasn't like this with Ben."

"Is it normal?"

Leia laughed. "How is anything with us ever normal?"

"I mean, it won't hurt you, or her?"

"No, not at all." She stroked his face with great tenderness at his still worried expression. "I'm fine, the baby's fine, and I'm happy about this."

"You're sure?"

"I'm positive. I wouldn't tell you this just to take it away from you. I know how much you want to have more children."

"More? How many more do you think I want?" He brushed a stray strand of hair away from her face and placed a gentle kiss on her lips.

"More than two?"

"Hmm, ideally, yes. I never had a family and I can't imagine anything better than a house filled with our children. Three or four would be a nice number," he mused.

Leia shook her head, and grinned at him. "Who are you and what have you done with Han Solo?"

He had to laugh at that. "I know, who would have thought I'd be like this when you met me? I didn't even know I'd be like this."

"You're a marshmallow, you know that, right?"

Han chucked and kissed her hand. "Yeah, and it's your fault."

"Han, I only want this baby. No more. Can you live with that?"

"Yes, Princess. I can be perfectly happy with a handsome son, a beautiful daughter, and a stunning wife. I'd call that a wonderful family."

"Han Solo, family man." Leia laughed out right. "What happened to my scoundrel?"

"You tamed me and you're the only one that could."

"Do you hate it?" She studied him with curiosity.

"I couldn't be happier." He pulled her close and breathed in the scent of her.

"You know how busy I am with work, so you'll have to help take care of her."

"I know that."

"Sleepless nights."

"Yes."

"Crying and projectile vomiting…"

"Yes…"

"Moody, hormonal wife…"

"So, what else is new?"

She swatted him on his chest and he only laughed.

"Leia, we did all of this. I got it."

She looked deep into his hazel eyes and saw only love, and sighed. "You are a pretty good Dad, and a decent husband."

"Only decent?" He huffed.

"Did I offend you? Oh, poor Scoundrel." A slow predatory smile crept across her face and she dropped her hand underneath the covers.

"Princess! What could you possibly be thinking?" he pretended to be affronted at her bold assault on his manhood, and she laughed.

"You know what I'm thinking," she said and began to nibble on his neck and his chin, her hand doing amazing things to his moving parts.

"Leia," he growled.

"This is the insatiable part of things, remember?"

He sighed as if put out. "So lots and lots of sex for a while?"

"Umm," she made a noise of agreement and with a wide grin for her enthusiasm, he rolled her over and began to return the touches in earnest.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa 

Two months later the time had come to share the news with their son, Ben. Early in the pregnancy the doctor had detected an abnormality but assured them it was something common, at least as much as such things could be, and by the time she had made it through the first trimester the problem had resolved itself. Now, just past the three month mark of her pregnancy, they felt comfortable telling Ben he would soon have a new sibling.

Ben, five years old and tall for his age, came into the living room slowly, a frown on his face as he looked at his parents. He had black hair, a face that seemed sharper than his father's and deep brown eyes he had inherited from his mother. At the moment those eyes regarded his parents warily, as if he were afraid of them.

"Ben, you okay?" Leia cocked her head as she picked up on her son's feelings of unease.

"Yeah, I guess," he muttered to the floor.

"What's wrong?" Han asked, noting his son's unease.

"You have something bad to tell me, don't you?" He quickly glanced at them before looking at the ground again.

"Why would you think that?" Leia asked as she went over to him and gently guided him to the couch where he sat between the two of them.

"I can feel it. Are you mad because of…because of…cause I'm sick sometimes?" His dark eyes were filled with remorse.

"Oh, honey, no."

"But I have to go to the head doctor."

"He just wants to make you better, Ben. He wants to help you from having those awful nightmares," Han said, joining in on the conversation.

"So you're not mad at me?"

"No, of course not." Han pulled his son to him and hugged him until he squeaked. Then they began to wrestle on the couch, displacing Leia who landed on the floor next to the couch with a thud. The boys stopped and looked at her, rubbing her sore behind, as she did her best to scowl at them but was unable to hide the hint of a smile.

"You okay?" Han said, his expression immediately serious.

"Fine, Hotshot, just fine. Note where I landed."

"You're sure?"

"Positive, but you two need to stop wrestling and help me up."

"I'll help you, Mom," Ben offered and put out his hand.

Leia smiled at Han over Ben's shoulder and accepted the help of her son. Once they were all seated again, Ben smiled at them, happy with their playful antics.

"Dad, can we wrestle some more later?"

"Maybe?" He gave Leia a questioning look. "We'll see how it goes.

"Okay." He regarded them with great patience while his parents exchanged looks, silently communicating, and he rolled his eyes in a manner so like Leia that Han almost laughed.

"We have something to tell you, Ben."

"Something good?" He saw the happy smiles of his parents.

"It's really good. " Leia took Ben's hand in hers. "How would you like to be a big brother?"

"What?" Ben drew back and regarded her in confusion. "No. I'm happy by myself."

Han and Leia regarded each other in concern, they hadn't planned for this scenario at all.

"But you'd have someone to play with, and I know you'd be good at it," Han tried to paint a happy picture for his son.

"Maybe," Ben's tone was doubtful.

"You told me you wanted a brother or sister."

"I changed my mind. I like being an only child." He regarded them with somber eyes.

Han was flummoxed, he really didn't know how to handle this conversation and turned pleading eyes on Leia, asking for her to take the lead. She only smiled at him before turning her attention back to their son.

"Ben, think of all of the fun you could have, you'd have someone new to play with and we know you'd be a great big brother."

"Well, maybe."

"And you'd get to show the baby how to be a good child, show her all the things you've learned…"

"Her?" Ben's eyes lit up in suspicion and he grasped his mother's hand in his two small ones and closed his eyes to concentrate. When his dark eyes opened and stared back into hers, they were filled with wonder. "Mom, you have a baby in you."

Leia laughed and Han looked immensely relieved to not have to explain a whole lot more, but froze at Ben's next words.

"How did that happen?"

Leia laughed as she regarded Han's panicked expression. "We'll talk about it the specifics a little later, okay?"

"Okay." Ben sighed but still regarded his mother with amazement. "Where is she? Can I feel her yet?"

"No, she's too little. She's growing here, in my stomach." Ever so gently she reached over and placed his small hands on her stomach and watched as he eyes grew large as he felt the presence of his sister.

"She's strong," he said in a matter-of-fact voice.

"Yes, she is," Leia nodded and mouthed 'later' in regards to Han's questioning gaze. "Are you okay with having a baby sister?"

Ben grinned at Leia and Han. "Yes. She will be remarkable," he said with such sincerity that both of his parent had to grin at him.

"She's an Organa-Solo, you bet she will be," Han said and kissed his son and his wife on the respective foreheads, and they loaded a holo they all liked and settled back into the comfortable couch, using Han as the oversized pillow.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa 

Later after Ben had gone to sleep, Han opened up his arms as Leia climbed into bed and snuggled up against him. Content, he sighed in her ear.

"That went better than I expected," he said.

"Not too bad," she agreed.

"Thank you for helping him to see the good points to having a little sister."

"I kind of had to, didn't I? It's a little late to change our minds."

"Wouldn't want to," he muttered gruffly in her ear. "I love that I'm having another child with you."

She made a somewhat indignant noise, which he understood because he was fluent in Leia.

"But of course, you're doing all the work, your highness."

She laughed and turned in his arms to face him. "Me too. Despite my early misgivings, I'm really happy, I want this child. And a girl?" The smile on her face was like a beacon in the darkest night. "Are you happy Nerfherder?"

"Do you need to ask?" He drew her lips to his and kissed her gently, sweetly and stared into her dark eyes that were filled with love for him. "I love you, wife. Always."

"Always, husband." She echoed, staring back at him.

"But what was that earlier business?"

"What business?"

"About her being strong?"

Leia bit her lip and hesitated.

"Out with it, you know you're going to have to tell me anyway. Might as well do it now."

"Well, you know how strong Ben is in the force?"

"Yeah, of course."

"This baby is stronger."

"What?" Han drew back and regarded her with a mixture of emotions, mostly concern and grudging acceptance of their daughter's gifts. "So she'll be strong in the force?"

"Very strong. You okay with that?" Leia regarded him with some wariness.

"Well I'd better be, I am her father after all. If I wasn't okay with it, I shouldn't have helped to design her, should I?" He smirked at his wife.

"I don't know I'd call it "design"…exactly."

"What then?" He regarded her with curiosity and bent his head and began to nibble lightly on her neck.

"Hot sex in the shower?"

"You think it was the shower?" Han regarded her, a smirk on his face as he thought about the time frame her conception must have occurred in. "Maybe the closet at that god awful elite diplomatic party you dragged me to…"

"You were supposed to behave yourself."

"I did. I didn't complain the rest of the night, did I?"

"Well, no."

"And you didn't complain when we snuck off either."

Leia had the grace to start studying the ceiling.

Han began to explore her neck again. "Or maybe when we had the beach all to ourselves…"

"Oh, that," Leia blushed remembering just how needy she had been and how she hadn't wasted any time making use of the private beach and Han's natural endowments.

"So many choices," he marveled as Leia began to sigh under his gentle assault, his hands now beginning to travel along her body.

"Han," she murmured and all talking ceased for the night.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa 

This time Han's military assignments had kept Han away from his family for an extended period of several weeks, something he hated especially since Leia was now late into her pregnancy. Being a General wasn't all it was cracked up to be, and with things finally falling into a semblance of normalcy after six plus years he was feeling that soon it would be time for a career change. Smuggling was no longer an option, for obvious reasons, so maybe he'd have to start a legitimate business. Gods! The inner core of Han laughed at his predicament. The once independent, never needed or wanted anyone, carefree, reckless version of himself had willingly and without a fight become a domesticated family man. And not only was he okay with it, but he was completely happy and couldn't imagine anything better than having Leia and their children in his life.

He was more than glad to have a few weeks off as leave and intended to be at home for the entire time, and he planned to see his daughter make an entrance into the world.

Letting himself into their Suites, he kicked off his boots and dropped his duffle bag onto the floor.

"I'm home," he yelled, and he was rewarded with noise from one of the back bedrooms as Ben came bursting out of the room at a full run and threw himself at his father. "Dad! You're home!"

"Damn right. I missed you, Ben," he said and he tightly hugged the boy to him.

"Missed you too, Dad." Han glanced over Ben's shoulder for some other sign of life within the apartments but only heard a slight rustling and as he watched, C3PO emerged from the hallway.

"Captain Solo, so good to see you," the droid said.

"Where is everyone?" he whispered to Ben.

"Out."

"Out where?" Han was somewhat disappointed to not also be greeted by his wife and daughter.

"Shopping. Mom said she needed to. She planned to be back before you got home." Ben looked at a nearby chrono. "You're early."

"Yeah, guess I am. I pushed it. I couldn't wait to see you guys." He set Ben down.

"They should be back any time, Captain Solo. Mistress Leia wanted to get something special to welcome you home. She was making a trip to a store called Mistress Natalie's closet," C3PO prattled on.

Han raised an eyebrow and smirked. He knew which store it was, it was one which sold all types of salacious clothing for both men and women as well as maintaining and assortment of…toys. It was a store that you went to when you wanted to spice things up in the bedroom, though he wasn't sure how spicy thing could get with a pregnant woman who was past eight months along but he would leave that up to Leia. At this point in the bedroom he was her humble servant and would do her bidding but he was pleased beyond belief that she would consider such a thing.

"Dad!" Ben tugged at his pants, wanting attention.

"What? Oh, sorry, Ben. I was distracted for a second." He pulled Ben to him, hugging him again. "Hey, kid. I got something for you."

"You do?" Ben's dark eyes lit with anticipation.

"Yeah, I hope you like it." Han scratched his chin as he studied his strapping five year old and thought back to the toy he brought back for him. It was a stuffed animal, a replica of his co-pilot Chewbacca. Ben had always loved Chewie, and had a fascination with the Wookie. But looking at his boy, he wondered if maybe Ben was too old to appreciate such a toy.

"Come on, Dad. What is it?" he whined.

"Let me get it, hold on." Han went back to his duffle bag and pulled out a wrapped present. He dropped the bag back to the floor and waved the present in front of Ben with a frown.

"What's wrong? Why aren't you giving it to me?"

"Buddy, I got this for a reason, but now I'm wondering if you're too big for this type of toy."

"Dad!" he whined, jumping up towards Han's hands which held the wrapped present over the boy's head. Laughing, he gave the present over to his eager son who dropped to the floor and opened it at his feet. Surprised, but with a pleased smile on his face, Ben gazed up at his father. "It's Chewbacca."

"Yeah, it is." Han agreed, smiling as he remember Chewie being both terribly pleased and somewhat bemused that a stuffed likeness of him was going to be a toy for Han's son.

"Do you like it?" Han remembered more than one occasion where Chewie had watched the Ben for them and had allowed his son to cling to his warm, furry chest after having one of his prolonged nightmares. Ben had found comfort in his big, hairy friend and Han had been grateful. The nightmares Ben suffered through were part of his mental illness which they were still trying to get a handle on, but somehow, Han thought that maybe the stuffed Wookie toy would be something to comfort him until he and Leia could get to him when he woke up screaming from his nightmares.

"Do you want the toy?"

Ben grinned at him. "Yeah, I like when you bring presents back."

"And I like giving them to my family."

Ben took the fake Chewbacca out of the box he was contained in and examined him thoroughly, even experimented with hugging the toy to his chest before he looked back to Han. He smiled at his Dad "I'm going to call him Bacca. It's okay if he sleeps with me, isn't it?"

Han wrinkled his brow, trying to fathom where this question was coming from. "Of course, why wouldn't it be?"

"Dad! I'm a big boy now. Is it okay for big boys to sleep with a toy like this?"

"Will it make you happy?"

Ben nodded.

"Then that's all that matters. C'mere," he said and opened up his arms to his son who willingly stepped in for a hug. "I'm proud of you, Ben, and I love you. Always."

"Always, Dad? No matter what?"

"No matter what."

"Cool." Giving up the pretense of being a big boy, he settled back into his father's strong arms content for the moment to be rocked and held within the circle of Han's strength, both physical and emotional.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa 

_Leia is beautiful. The stars in the sky paled in comparison next to her light_ , Han thought as she held their newborn daughter in her arms. Appearing quite serene in her role as a mother, Leia motioned for Han to come over and take their daughter while she rested.

Quietly he accepted the precious package and held the most wonderful baby girl in the entire galaxy, and he felt his heart swell with an all-encompassing love for this incredible life that he and Leia somehow managed to create. He stared into her brand new baby face, her somewhat blue eyes were already darkening but it was too soon to really tell what color they would be. The baby stared back at him with undisguised fascination, and without being aware of it, Han began softly singing to her, an old Corellian lullaby he had heard in his youth.

Leia was tired, and meant to take a short nap, but found herself watching her husband with open fondness as he sang, actually sang to his little girl. He was immersed within her bubble and had completely forgotten where he was and that Leia was even in the room. Leia smiled knowing their daughter was already wrapping Daddy around her little finger.

Content at the scene before her, and at peace with life, Leia closed her eyes and left their treasured daughter to the care of her father as she opted for a short nap.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa 

The apartment seemed confining to young Ben as he stared out the upper floor of his parent's bedroom yet again. He gave a heartfelt sigh and after a few moments turned and ran out of the bedroom to the main room where Uncle Luke sat quietly, watching the holo.

"Uncle Luke, when will they be here?"

"Come over here, Ben, and sit by me." Luke patted a spot on the couch next to him.

With an extremely patient sigh for a five-year-old, Ben complied and sat on the couch next to his Uncle.

"They'll be here any time." Luke studied his nephew who regarded him with serious eyes.

"What's taking so long? They only have to come home!"

"There are a few things to do at the hospital before they come home. They have to check over your mother to make sure she is all right to come home."

Ben's eyes widened in worry. "Mom's all right, isn't she? The baby didn't hurt her?"

Luke chuckled and rubbed his nephew's head. "No, Ben. It's just to make sure she's as healthy as she can be."

"Is she?"

"Yes, but the doctors also have to check your sister to make sure she's healthy enough to come home too."

"Why wouldn't she be?" Ben's brow wrinkled in concern, not understanding how a brand new baby, a brand new life could be ill.

"Babies are little people, sometimes they get sick too."

"But she's new. How can she be broken?" His dark eyes searched his uncle's blue eyes with such earnestness that Luke laughed.

"They are brand new people but they can be sick too. You were as little as your sister when you were born."

"I was, wasn't I?" Ben bit his lip and Luke was surprised to find that he seemed to be remembering himself as a baby; an ability he must have inherited from Leia because she could remember her mother too even though she was with her for such a short time.

Ben gave his Uncle a sudden dark, look and Luke sat up straighter, suddenly paying a great deal of attention to his nephew. "Ben? What is it?"

"Nothin'," he muttered suddenly sounding remarkably like Han.

"Ben?"

Ben chafed under Luke's gaze. "It's just that…she's so cute…and sweet. And a girl! What if they love her more than me?"

"Ahh, that's what your worried about?"

The small boy bit his lip and nodded as he regarded Luke. He reached out and put a gentle hand under Ben's chin, causing the child to look up at him. "Ben, your parents love you unconditionally."

"Unconditionally?"

"It means they will always love you no matter what."

"You're sure?" Ben frowned.

"Of course. They love you more than anything, and they will love Breha more than anything. It's the same for both of you."

The boy sat back against the couch and was quiet, but a couple of minutes later he placed his hand on Luke's leg, demanding his attention.

"What is it, Ben?" Luke offered his beloved nephew a smile.

"I already love Breha too." The boy's smile turned into a wide grin. "She's going to be special."

"With you as her brother, and the parents you guys have, she will be special." Luke laughed. "In so many ways."

"Uncle Luke?"

"Yes?"

"I will be a good big brother to her. I will take care of her."

"I know you will, Ben. I have great faith in you."

"I won't let anyone ever hurt her."

"That's good, Ben. Really good. You'll make your parents proud."

Ben beamed at the compliment when they heard the door code keyed in and the door opened to admit Leia, and Han, with their new daughter ensconced safely within Han's strong arms. The parents positively radiated happiness as they entered the room. Leia, gently pulled the baby blanket away from Breha's sleeping face as Ben and Luke stepped closer.

"Ben, Breha's home. This is your new baby sister."

Finally allowed to be close to his new sister, Ben extended a finger which his little sister grabbed in her baby fist. The connection was instantaneous, and Ben knew he would always love her with all of his heart. He looked up to his mother and father who were watching the exchange with a bit of anxiety in their eyes, and he smiled up at them.

"She's beautiful. I love her."

Relieved, they grinned foolishly, and Luke slapped Han on the back and once again congratulated the happy couple, pleased to be a part of their young family.

Fascinated by the small infant, Ben stared at his little sister, mentally vowing to always keep her safe.


	2. Chapter 2

**UB – Unravelling**

 **Chapter Two**

 **Five years later**

Breha Padme Organa Solo watched with curious hazel eyes as she sat on her father's lap in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon. Han grinned helplessly as his little girl looked up at him, searching his face. Then she stood up, turned around and put her small hands on his cheeks, staring at him intently.

"Fly, Daddy."

"You want to go for a flight? With Daddy?"

The little girl gave him a look of exasperation so like her mother that Han had to bite his cheeks to keep from laughing.

"You and Uncle Chewie," the little girl explained patiently.

"I see. And you think you're up to a flight?"

"Yes, Daddy. I can help you, you know." Her sparkling hazel eyes regarded him with a somber expression. "I can be your co-pilot."

"What about Chewie?"

The little girl frowned and bit her lip. "Uncle Chewie won't mind. But I must be bigger first!" She gestured with her arms and Han couldn't help but laugh.

 _What's so funny?_ Chewie huffed as he entered the cockpit.

"Breha here wants to be my co-pilot, but says she can wait until she is bigger." Han's proud grin told Chewie all the needed to know.

 _That is true, you must grow up before you can pilot the Falcon._ He regarded her thoughtfully. _But maybe in the meantime your father will make you Second Mate._

"Second mate? What's that?" She turned to her father, her eyes big.

"It's a special job Bre, it means you're in charge after me and Chewie. Think you're ready for it?"

"I am, I can do it."

"I have no doubt, kiddo. But we'll have to clear it with Mom."

"Oh." Breha scrunched up her face in thought, and let a smile creep across her face as she leaned forward and hugged her father tightly, and then leaned back to stare into his face.

"Daddy?" She played with the lapels of Han's shirt and looked into his matching hazel eyes, giving him her best pleading gaze. "Will you help me with Mommy?"

"Help you what?"

"Help me be Second Mate."

The two stared at one another, gazes locked.

"You think I'll do that for you?"

"Yes, Daddy," she nodded, a smug look on her face, and Han laughed.

"I love you, Bre."

"Daddy. I know." She wrapped her small arms around Han's neck and Han shook his head, she certainly was her father's daughter.

Chewie laughed heartily _. You are so screwed, Cub. Your women have you wrapped around their fingers._

"Yeah, I know," Han said softly, hugging his daughter to him. "And I wouldn't have it any other way."

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa 

Han collapsed in the bed next to his wife. Too much paperwork to complete after a mission, too much supervising the repair of damaged aircraft, not enough time to tend to repairs for the Falcon, Leia had come home late due to unforeseen circumstances, and Ben and Breha were having a bad day. Now he was uncharacteristically exhausted and only wanted to sleep next to his Princess.

"Did they go down all right?" Leia asked, closing her data pad and watched her husband as he let out a loud, tired sigh.

"Yeah after a bit. Ben was more cooperative than Bre tonight. She wouldn't go to sleep until I told her a story."

"That's your fault because you've spoiled her."

"Yeah, I know," a tired grin flitted across his face. "Gods, but she's a hellion."

"Hmm, remind you of anyone we know?" Leia's voice clearly indicated she was thinking of her husband.

"Me? You think she's like me?"

"You don't?" Leia laughed. "Han, she's followed you around like a puppy since the time she could walk."

"Yeah, she does, doesn't she?" His smile was genuine as he regarded his wife. "Will you let us fly away for a day or two? She really wants to go."

"I've already let her be your second mate."

"Leia," he gave her a reproving look.

"I'm thinking about it."

"Is that the "I'm seriously thinking about it" answer? Or the "I'm going to pacify you and tell you that I'm thinking about it" answer?"

Leia seemed a bit disturbed because Han knew her so well, and Han laughed at the grimace she made.

"Really, Han. I am thinking about it."

"Sweetheart, pick the safest place you can think of. I will take her shopping or something after we land. We will stay a night and sleep on the Falcon because that's what she wants to do. Go out the next morning and come home. See, simple."

"I guess."

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know. I have this nagging feeling."

"About this?"

Leia turned confused eyes up at him. "I don't know. I've been having force dreams lately but I don't know how to interpret them and nothing is clear, it's all vague images I don't know how to connect."

"So call Luke. He's the professional in all things force related."

"I guess I'll have to…"

"You could talk to him while we're gone…"

"You're not going to leave this alone, are you?"

"Nope, I can't. I promised Bre." He closed his eyes, for just a few moments.

Leia studied him with great fondness. "Really, we're just going to sleep tonight?"

"You sound disappointed, Sweetheart." He cracked open an eye and grinned at her. "But yes, for once I have to admit to being truly exhausted. All I want to do is to sleep with my Princess."

"Well, there's always later," Leia mused.

Han laughed. "That's my girl, always planning ahead. C'mere." He opened up his arms to her and Leia snuggled against him in her well established position.

"What are you going to do when Bre grows up? How long before you let her date?" Leia's tone was filled with amusement.

"She's never going to date," Han's sleepy voice told his wife.

"Never?" Leia's voice was so incredulous that Han cracked open and eye and regarded her for just a moment before shutting it again.

"Never. She's my baby. I know what men think and no one will ever be good enough for her. She will never date anyone."

Leia chuckled to herself as she heard Han's breathing even out and felt him drift off to sleep. She should have expected such an attitude from him as he was very protective of his family, but knew she could get him to relent at the proper time. She snuggled closer to him and he instinctively put his arms around her and pulled her more tightly to him.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa 

It was a simple trip to Corellia, the planet Han was from; it was completely within the realms of the New Republic with crime levels dropping to new lows under the care of the new government, and few political insurgents that were causing any trouble. Leia finally, grudgingly gave her consent for them to go to Han's home world if they stayed in the best part of the cities. Doing what he must to pacify his worried wife, Han agreed. Turnaround time was four days' tops but he really expected to be home before that.

Han personally thought Leia was just tired of telling the two of them 'no' so she agreed to let them go off to the safest place she could find for a day or two. He grinned as Breha sat with Chewie in his oversized pilot's chair, patiently instructing her in Shyriiwook as to which buttons to push in which sequence. They were in space just coming up to the planet, but close enough that there were some flight sequences she could do which wouldn't cause any harm if they were done wrong. Bre concentrated on everything Chewie told her and did it all perfectly. Chewie gave a rumble of approval and nodded over at Han, the girl was smarter than the Wookie expected her to be at this age. Han grinned like a fool.

"Bre that was great! You have a real knack for piloting."

"Of course I do, Daddy. I am your Second Mate."

Chewie chortled. _We may have to hire her, you know._

"Yeah, I'm starting to believe that," he said, still grinning at his friend. "Bre, now you have to watch while Daddy and Uncle Chewie land the Falcon."

"I can't do it?" Her disappointment was palpable.

"Not yet, honey. You have to be a little bigger."

"All right, Daddy, but I will learn everything so I am ready."

"That's my girl," Han said proudly and Chewie just rolled his eyes. "We're going to start the landing sequence, so you watch, okay?"

Breha nodded wisely, her eyes eager to see what was happening.

"And after we land, we will clean up and go shopping, all right? Your Mom says you need some new clothes."

"Clothes?" Bre made a face. "Can't we shop for something more fun?"

"Like what?" Han and Chewie were both watching the child they adored.

"Blasters! I want one just like yours, Daddy!"

Chewie nearly broke his ribs he was laughing so hard while Han was torn between shock and laughter. When he could finally gather himself together enough to speak he addressed Bre.

"You are far too young to have a blaster."

"But isn't it better if I learn early? I am a smart girl."

Clearly this child had the upper hand with him, and Han frowned. She was obviously her mother's daughter and knew it.

"I know you're smart, Bre, but it's better if you're a bit older before you learn that."

"But how can I save you if you need help?" His daughter regarded him with somber hazel eyes.

"Save me?" He pointed to his chest, incredulous he was having this conversation with a five year old.

"Dad, you are always in trouble. Mom says so."

"Yeah, well what else does Mom say?"

"That she saves you a lot." Breha blinked her innocent eyes at him. "Isn't it true?"

Han mentally swore at Leia, he didn't want her telling the kids that he couldn't take care of himself.

"It's sometimes true," he quietly agreed, and ignored the sniggering from his First Mate.

"Daddy, it's okay. We all love you anyway. But Mom also says you save her lots too."

Han just nodded, not sure where his daughter was taking this conversation.

"Daddy, if I use a blaster I can save you and Mommy." She smiled sweetly at her father, and Han ran a hand through his hair.

He did the only thing he could think of at the moment. "We'll ask you mother when we get home, all right?"

Breha graced him with an amazing smile that he knew belonged to him as her Daddy, and he grinned back. "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you too, Bre."

"You can make Mommy do it."

"Well…maybe not talk…but I'll figure something out."

Breha crawled off Chewie's lap and came over to kiss her father's cheek before she climbed into the seat behind him. Chewie got up and after making sure she was strapped in, climbed into his seat and prepared for the landing.

Han was mentally wondering just how he was going to bring up the subject of allowing their small daughter to learn how to use a blaster, when he looked over and saw Chewie smirking at him.

"What?"

 _So screwed,_ Chewie chortled gleefully.

But again, Han couldn't help but smile.


	3. Chapter 3

**Unravelling**

 **Chapter Three**

The bags were packed but Han stopped to mentally do a last-minute check to make sure that he hadn't forgotten anything, because he didn't want to make his little Princess unhappy on their trip. Leia had relented and agreed that a little father daughter time would be a good thing for both of them, and give her time to have some mother son time with Ben. They talked and made plans and agreed he would take a short trip to Corellia, go shopping, and then after a couple of days return home. In the meantime, Leia and Ben had a list of things they wanted to do with their time together.

Breha had not wanted to go down for the night because she was so excited but after Han sat by her bed and sang her a Corellian lullaby, the only thing he remembered from his mother, her eyes eventually shut as she drifted into a happy sleep.

At the senior age of ten, Ben could stay up longer than his sister, and Han left him sitting next to Leia watching the end of a holo. The sound of someone entering the master suite only mildly surprised him and he looked up expecting Leia, but instead found Ben regarding him with an angry expression.

"Ben? Something I can do for you?"

His son continued to glare at him.

"Hey, I won't know what's wrong unless you tell me."

"You're leaving with Bre."

"Yeah. That's not a question."

"Why?"

"So, I can take her off planet shopping. She mostly wants to fly the Falcon."

"You're not going to let her?" Ben's reaction was somewhere between curious and appalled.

"Of course, not, but we'll go on a trip and she'll fly a little. It's all good," Han smiled fondly as he remembered his daughter's enthusiasm for flying.

"I can fly!" Ben gave Han a plaintive look.

"Ben? Wait, are you saying you wanted to go too?"

Ben nodded.

Han thoughtfully regarded his son wondering at his change of heart. Leia had taken time off to be with Ben but she was still available in case of some sort of political crises at work, and he knew she couldn't get the time off so that they could go to Corellia as a family. He also knew that Leia was looking forward to spending time with Ben, centering her attention on him and the things he liked.

"Well, we didn't know that."

"You didn't ask me," Ben crossed his arms in front of him.

"Son, most of the time when I ask you, you turn me down. You seem less interested in flying and the Falcon as you're getting older."

"It doesn't mean I didn't want to go." He scowled at his father.

"Ben, I think this time we'll leave things set as they are. If you wanted to go you should have said something sooner." He paused. "After I get back with Bre we'll talk and set up a time when you and I can go for a flight somewhere."

"Why should I care?" Ben's voice was angry.

"I dunno. It sounded like you care."

"Well I don't! Why should I care if Bre flies off with you? You can't even use the force!"

"Yeah, so?" Han stopped packing and regarded his son. "What's your issue?"

Ben glared at his father, and Han heard the rattle of the shelves behind him.

"Ben, stop it. You can't resolve your issues by using the force."

"Says you! What would you know about it?"

"Anything in life can become a crutch, don't use some power to set things straight. If you have a problem with me, let's hear it."

The rattling behind him stopped and Ben expelled a long sigh.

"Tell me, what's wrong?" Han stepped over to his son and looked him in the eye, trying to understand what was going on in his young mind.

"You're going with her," Ben said stubbornly.

It took a few moments but it finally clicked in Han's mind, that for reasons he didn't understand, Ben was jealous that he was taking Breha with him.

"You're jealous? Ben! Don't be."

"You're taking her."

"C'mere." Han pulled Ben close and hugged him. "Do you think this means I don't love you?"

Ben nodded against Han's chest.

"Ahh, Ben. It's not true, I love you very much." He detached from his son and guided him over to the bed where they sat next to each other. "But tell me the truth, and whatever you say is okay. Do you want to be a pilot?"

"I like helping you." His dark eyes searched Han's.

"And I like your help. But it's not the same as liking what you do. Do you like flying?"

"Sort of."

"But you like what Mom does better? The Senate and all of those meetings?"

"It's more interesting." Ben looked up to see his father rolling his eyes. "You don't like it?"

"No, I don't. Different people like different things and that's okay. See, near as I can tell at this point, and don't get me wrong because things always change, but near as I can tell you like more of the same things Mom likes, and Breha likes more of the things I like."

"Could be," Ben reflected on his father's words, "it sounds like us."

"Exactly, and that's why I'm making the trip with Bre. She loves to fly like I do, so we're going to fly. You enjoy being around the government dealings like your Mom does, so she's planning to take you with her."

"For sure?" Ben's eyes glinted with interest.

"That's the plan." Han paused. "Are you okay with this?"

Ben nodded, his face thoughtful. "Yeah, I guess. But it doesn't mean that I don't want to go with you."

"Like I said, when I get back we'll plan a trip. A chance for us to get away from the women. How does that sound?"

"Good, really good." Ben nodded. "Promise?"

"I promise. Are we good?"

"Yeah."

"Then I think it's time you got ready for bed. Where's your Mom?"

"When the holo ended she was asleep on the couch. Should I wake her up?"

"Nah, after you're set I'll go get her."

"Okay."

"Now get ready and I'll come and tuck you in."

"All right." Ben paused and looked at Han. "I love you, Dad."

"I love you too, Ben. Always."

Ben smiled and nodded almost shyly and then disappeared out of the room.

Han stared after him, concerned with the anger and frustration he saw in him, and his almost subconscious use of the force. It only served to remind him of the ongoing disagreement that he and Leia had about Ben. She wanted to send him to Luke soon, whereas Han thought keeping him home longer with the family and able to see his psychologist would be better for him.

He heard Ben call for him and putting his thoughts aside, left to put his son to bed.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa 

Breha sat quietly in a chair watching as her parents got ready for their day. She bit her lip trying not to be anxious. She wanted to go flying with her Dad more than anything but she had never been away from Mom for such a long time. They said two days wasn't long, but right now it seemed like a very long time to her.

Her confused thoughts were interrupted by the approach of her brother who stood in front of her. She wrinkled her brow at him because he was hiding something behind his back.

"Whatcha' doin' Ben?"

"You're worried, aren't you?"

His sister nodded.

He sat down beside her. "Why? Don't you want to fly with Dad?"

"I do." She looked at her brother with a perplexed expression.

"So, what's wrong?"

"I'm gonna miss Mom. And you."

"Aww, Bre." Ben pulled her onto his lap and hugged her. "We'll miss you too. But it's only for a couple of days and Dad wants to go flying with you."

"He does, doesn't he?" Her eyes lit with anticipation. "I love to fly! Just like Daddy!"

"We know, Bre, we know." Ben duplicated his mother's eyeroll almost perfectly. "It will be good, you'll have fun."

"Okay." Her bright smile was back and Ben tussled her hair, laughing at her antics.

"And I know you're worried so I have something for you, something to keep you safe."

"What's that, Ben?"

Ben pulled out his treasured toy, the stuffed Wookie given to him by Han when he was a toddler, and handed it to his little sister. Breha's eyes grew big as she stared at the stuffed toy and then at her brother.

"But it's Bacca!"

"I know, silly."

"But, Ben! It's your favrit toy! You need it to help you!" Breha was so concerned for Ben that he laughed.

"It's okay, Bre. I'll be fine for a couple of days. You can give it back to me when you're home again."

"Really?" The grin was spreading across Breha's happy face.

"Really."

"Oh, Ben." She threw herself against him and hugged him fiercely. "I love you, Ben."

"I love you too, Bre. For a baby sister, you're all right."

Breha pulled away from him and put her hands on her hips. "Of course, I'm all right. I'm Daddy's little Princess."

Ben smothered a laugh as she hugged him and knew his father would have his hands full taking care of his little sister; she was already so full of who she was, already so strong for such a little girl, that sometimes he envied her. He watched her with brotherly pride as she hugged Bacca to her, gleeful to have the beloved, stuffed toy to take with her.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa 

_The flight had been uneventful, the landing was great, and they were docked in a privately secured hanger in Corellia. It was a secured port with proper authorization needed to come and go, security in attendance around the clock. In short, it was the very best that the New Republic had to offer, and Leia had clearly done her homework,_ Han thought.

Han and Breha went shopping and per Leia's recommendation they went in search of clothes for his growing daughter. She preferred to be attired in pants and shirts rather than skirts and blouses, but he was a good husband and father and got a variety of clothes so that both his wife and daughter would be satisfied with his choices. She left the store wearing a new outfit that consisted of dark pants, and a light shirt, like something Han would wear from time to time. He was vaguely aware of this but didn't want to dwell on the fact, allowing himself to be pleased that his daughter held him in such high regard.

After they finished shopping he took her to see a holovid, some incredibly clever children's animated story that had him guessing about the technicalities of how they put the film together. It was a cute little story that had a well-deserved happy ending which left both of them in a good mood.

From there they went to a dessert shop and Han indulged them both with more ice cream than they should have had, and he hoped Bre wouldn't pay for this later with an upset stomach. They finished the day with more window shopping before they returned to the Falcon to call it a night.

Breha sighed contentedly as she crawled into her designated bunk, and regarded her father with sleepy eyes.

"Thanks, Daddy."

"For what, Sweetheart?"

Han ran a tender hand across her forehead.

"For today. I had fun." She paused. "Tomorrow will be fun too."

"We're going home tomorrow, Bre." Han frowned just a little.

"But not right away. Not until you fix the Falcon."

"But there's nothing to fix, it's working fine."

Bre shrugged and closed her eyes. "Okay Daddy. Good night."

"Night, Bre." Han kissed her forehead and watched as his daughter drifted off to sleep. He was disturbed by her comments about the Falcon, but knew there should be nothing to worry about, he had gotten into the habit of going over the Falcon with a fine-toothed comb before leaving with his family, and he seldom left home these days if his ship was not in tip top shape.

But he was living with a family of force sensitives and had learned long ago not to ignore their feelings on such matters, so he would check the Falcon in the morning. With one last look for his daughter, he left her alone and shut off the light behind him.

Han studied the blue around the edges image of Leia, and smiled, even the distortions in the video couldn't mar her beauty.

"What are you smiling at?" She asked, seeing his goofy grin.

"You, and Bre, and Ben. Sometimes I'm just amazed that I ended up here with you and with our kids. And I'm…"

"Don't say it." Leia put up her hand as if to ward off his words.

"…grateful," he finished and smirked at her.

She sighed. "Now I have to give you the obligatory grateful response, the one in which I tell you how much I would have lost without you," she said in a solemn voice, but her tone was playful.

"You're welcome," he said with a smirk. "How are you and Ben?"

"We're good. He misses his sister."

"And me?"

"Yeah, you too." Leia was quick, but he still noticed the hesitation.

"He's still mad at me?"

"A little but he'll get over it. He needs to understand that not being force sensitive isn't a failing, it's just different, that's all." She shrugged.

"Maybe it's a good thing I'm away from him for a couple of days, it'll give him a chance to calm down."

"Unfortunately, I think he inherited your temper and that coupled with the force…"

"We'll figure it out, Leia."

"I still think we should send him to Luke…"

"It's an option, but I think he needs more time with us. It seems that Bre has already had more time with us than we made for Ben, and it's not fair." Han's mouth had a decidedly hard line to it as he stared at Leia through the holovid, and Leia appeared none too happy either.

"But Luke knows more about this than we do…"

"The force? You're probably right. Our son? Not a chance in hell," Han snorted in disdain.

"He needs help."

"Yeah, he needs our help. He needs his psychologist to help him with his issues. He can go to Luke later."

The two stared at each other through the shimmering image until they both took a mental step back and backed down.

"We can talk about it when you get home," Leia finally said.

"Sounds good."

"How is Bre doing?"

"Great! She's having the time of her life," Han said but his grin faded as he remembered what his daughter said about the Falcon.

"What is it?" Leia's voice brought him back to reality.

"Umm, probably nothing."

"But?"

"I was going to take Bre into town in the morning, and then head home, but she told me before she went to bed that we will be here longer than that."

Amused, Leia shook her head. "And why is that?"

"She said there's something wrong with the Falcon."

"Is there? I thought you were in the habit of checking it now before you leave." Leia couldn't quite stop the frown marring her features.

"First, I always do that! But yes, I have more precious cargo on board since we got married I don't take off unless I'm certain of it. It was in prime shape when we left yesterday, nothing short of some minor repairs was wrong with it."

"Then it should be fine tomorrow," Leia said cheerfully, but he saw her frown.

"And if it's not?" He rubbed his hand over his jaw, a sign that he was worried.

"Then you fix it and come home." Leia tried to ignore the worried little spot in her mind that reacted to his words.

"Maybe I should check it tonight. Should I be worried about this, Leia?"

"I don't know," she replied in frustrated honesty. "This seems connected to those dreams I had that I can't place. They seem equally good and bad but to get to the good we have to go through the bad."

"Great." He grimaced.

"Sorry. I'm sure it's nothing. Just come home as quick as you can, all right?"

He nodded. "Will do." He paused, hesitating.

"Han? What is it?" Leia queried seeing his hesitation.

"Can you and Bre still talk by doing that force thing?"

"Mostly. Why?"

"Just checking. I just want to know she has a way to get hold of you if she has to."

"Now you're scaring me."

"It's probably nothing, I'm just glad she has that option," Han said, trying to lighten things up.

"Get home as soon as you can," Leia said, not allowing the mood to lighten.

"I will. I love you, Princess."

"And I love you, Hotshot."

"See you soon," He said and winked at her before ending his transmission.

He stared out of his cockpit for a few minutes before deciding that he wasn't going to get any sleep until he checked the ship. Something just felt, well off, to him. He would let Chewie sleep as he was only going to see if he could detect a problem tonight, and if he found one they could fix it in the morning. Satisfied with his course of action, he woke up the Falcon and began a system's check, hoping it was only his imagination that had run wild.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa  
 _  
Unbelievable. Completely unbelievable. The power coupling was gone, not split apart, not defective, it was gone._ Han had replaced it earlier in the week and secured it, but the coupling had somehow been detached, taken and now it was gone. Without it they had limited backup power which was not safe for a jump to hyperspace, and there was no way he would take that risk with Breha on board. That meant they had to get a new one and replace it before they could leave for their return trip. Fortunately, the port where they were docked was a hub of business and Han expected it wouldn't be hard to obtain the part they needed if it was in stock. He supposed he should be grateful that they were someplace where they could obtain the necessary part without too much trouble and not stuck on the Outer Rim where they could be stranded.

He discussed the situation with Chewie when the Wookie woke up, and seeing how tense his friend was, Chewie had volunteered to go into the city to purchase the power coupling while Han waited with Bre, who thankfully was still fast asleep. _Mornings are not her favorite thing,_ he thought with a bit of amusement.

But Chewie had been gone for three hours and the furball wasn't back yet, and hadn't called in. The errand should have taken two hours, tops. Biting his lip, Han went to the crew cabin and gently work up his tired daughter.

"Let me sleep," she murmured as Han shook her awake. He graced her forehead with a gentle kiss and she looked up at his loving gesture. "What is it, Daddy?"

"You need to get up, Bre. As soon as Uncle Chewie's back we're leaving." He knew they should fix the Falcon before they left but there were several nearby planets where they could dock and do the work, and right now his instincts were screaming at him to leave. Something was very wrong.

"Okay, Daddy." Without another word, she scrambled off the bed and got dressed in record time.

"Wait here for me, okay. Play with your data pad games."

"Okay," she said but didn't reach for the data pad as the door shut behind Han.

Han hurried to the cockpit and peered out, and saw a figure standing some twenty feet in front of the ship. He was a well-dressed man who was leaning heavily on a walking cane. The man looked up and met Han's eyes, and he felt a shiver run down his spine; this is what he had been dreading. He felt uneasy as he regarded the man, felt a knot tie up his gut but he didn't know why. He was tempted to fire up the Falcon and leave everything behind, but that would include Chewie too, and since he didn't know for certain what this was about, he couldn't just leave his friend behind.

As he watched, the man with the cane gestured for Han to come out of the ship and meet with him.

Han stepped out of the cockpit and ran to Breha's room.

"Honey, Bre, come with me."

"Daddy what?" she asked trailing behind Han as he raced down to his safest most secret and secure cargo holds.

He quickly opened them and then he turned and disappeared, returning a couple of minutes later with food packs and a survival kit in his hand. Then he knelt to speak directly to his daughter.

"Bre, this is really important and I need you to play along with me, all right?"

Feeling waves of worry rolling off him, she nodded.

"I need you to hide in the cargo compartment for a while. I don't know where Uncle Chewie is and I have to go find him."

"But why do I have to hide in here?" Breha wrinkled her nose in distaste.

"Because it's really safe and I am worrying too much."

"Why? You know I can take care of myself." She positioned her hands on her hips and reminded Han so much of a little Leia that he almost laughed despite the situation.

"Sweetheart, I know that. But just humor your old Dad, okay? I love you very much and I'm probably being overprotective but I don't want anything to happen to you. Not ever."

She sighed but smiled. "Okay, Dad. What do you want me to do?"

"It will be boring, but just stay in here until I get back. You have rations," he held up one of the packs in his arms. "And an emergency kit which has a flashlight, water jug, small bacta patches in case you scratch yourself, and a couple of other things. You probably won't need any of it but I want to be sure."

Breha rolled her eyes. "Daddy, you worry too much."

"Yeah, I know, but you're my little ray of sunshine, honey, and I love you more than you will ever know."

"I love you too, Daddy," she said and hugged him tightly.

"There's something else I need you to do for me, Bre."

"What?"

"I need you to call to Luke and your Mom through the force. Can you?"

"Yes, but you tell me not to."

"This time it's a good thing. And I need you to send them a message for me, okay?"

Breha shrugged. "Sure, I guess. What do you want to say?"

Han paused and thought for a moment. I want you to tell them this." He paused before he recited the message to his daughter. "The Falcon is grounded. Get here soon. Cargo hidden. Looking for Chewie." He studied his five-year-old daughter. "Can you send that? Or is it too much?"

She scowled at him. "Daddy, really? I can do more."

"Just like your Mom, you're amazing." He kissed her forehead. "Sending that is enough. Concentrate on Uncle Luke, I think he can get her faster, but contact your Mom too. And if your connection is good enough tell them you're hiding here to humor your Dad."

Breha gave an exasperated sigh. "Is someone waiting for you?"

"Yeah, I'd better go. I don't want anyone boarding the Falcon. And listen to me Bre, if it's quiet, use your senses, and if no one here you can come out, but not before. And no matter what, don't let anyone in except for me, Chewie, Luke or you Mom. Okay?"

"Yup. Got it."

"And be quiet. After I close the hatch you can put on the light, but only then."

She nodded. "I'll be all right, Daddy. I promise."

"Good. Love you, Bre. See you soon," he promised as he stood up, pulled himself out of the cargo hatch and put the cover back in place.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa 

The ramp to the Falcon opened and Han exited, but he didn't turn to face his adversary until he made sure the hatch had closed and was locked behind him. The man made his way over to him, along with two other mercenary looking men.

He walked forward to meet them and put his hands out in a gesture of appeal.

"Look, I don't know who you are and what you want, but I'm sure I don't have anything you need. I'm only here for a couple of days on a short vacation."

"Vacation? Solo, you've gone soft," the gravelly voice rasped from the man with the cane.

The other man was disfigured, he had severe scarring across his face which had misshapen his nose, and a jagged scar which ran from the cheek down his neck. Han could only imagine that perhaps the scarring continued down the rest of his body as well. He wondered why this man seemed familiar to him.

"Ahh, I see you have noticed my disfigurement and perhaps surmised that all of this was the result of a grievous injury." The man nodded. "It is indeed true."

"Who are you? And what do you want with me?"

"Still as abrupt as ever I see, but fair enough." He paused. "You are the cause of my misery and I have been seeking to even the score for a long time now. I have watched you from a distance as you have gone about your life, married a Princess and, and produced children. You are now a family man. Who would have believed the mercenary Han Solo would ever end up with such a life?" the man hissed.

Warning bells went off in Han's head, and he wondered if he would have time to reach his small mini-blaster inconspicuously strapped to his thigh.

"You'd be dead before you reached for it, Solo," he man said. He motioned for his two burly associates to remove the blaster from Han's thigh, which they did with precision.

"Hey now, don't you think you should take me dinner first?"

The men glared at him and then walked away with the small blaster.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Your stupid oaf! But I forget you've never seen me without my mask. It was your sheer dumb luck that sent me into the Sarlaak pit at Jabba's."

Han's eyes widened and he blanched as everything fell into place. "Boba Fett," he whispered.

"Yes, Boba Fett." He grimaced. "I definitely liked you better as a wall ornament. You were so much quieter."

"What do you want?"

"You. And your co-pilot the Wookie. But I already have him."

"Chewie?"

"The mighty Chewbacca?" Fett gave a short, wizened laugh that sound more like a bark. "Yes. It's amazing how quickly he went down when he was injected with a strong sedative." Fett looked at his chrono display. "And I'm sure his torture session is well underway by now."

"Let him go."

"Why would I do that?"

"Take me instead."

"Oh, I fully intend to take you, but I'm not giving up the Wookie."

"It's me you want, let him go."

"No. He was instrumental in getting you out of Jabba's and destroying not only my livelihood, but ruining my life, just as you were. And now you're both going to suffer my wrath."

"I'm a General with the New Republic, do you think they won't search for me?"

"Hmm. Perhaps. One day, but not soon enough for you. I have been planning this for months, you see. There is absolutely nothing you can do to change what is about to happen."

"All I have to do is call to one of the security personnel."

"Most them have been paid off to look the other way, at least for tonight. And the one or two that haven't will be killed if you ask for their help. As will the Wookie." He paused, a grim smile on his lips. "So, do you really want to do that?"

He was in a bind, it was one of the few times in life he saw no clear way out. He was worried about Chewie and himself, but his main concern was for Breha who was safely hidden away in the deep recesses of the Falcon, sending a message to the only two people that could help them. He was weaponless and couldn't take down all three of the assailants he counted. Maybe if he went quietly, they wouldn't search the ship.

"No, I guess not," Han said.

"Smart. I guess you still have a few working brain cells," Fett said. "All right, let's go."

"What about the ship?" One of his flunkeys asked. "Shouldn't we search it?"

"We don't need to. He not a smuggler anymore, he's gone straight."

The two assistants seemed dubious, but acquiesced.

Han breathed a sigh of relief. Things weren't looking good for him and Chewie, but it seemed Breha was safe, and that mattered to him most of all.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa  
 _AN: Thank you for reading; reviews are appreciated._


	4. Chapter 4

_AN: Thanks for your kind review, they are appreciated._

 **Chapter Four**

Ben woke up in a cold sweat, screaming into his pillow, head pounding rapidly. He gulped and tried to get his breathing under control as he ran to her room just down the hall. He quietly let himself in and turned on the light, not at all surprised when Leia immediately sat up and looked at him, wide awake.

"Mom, were you sleeping?"

"Barely."

"You're worried?"

"A little, why?"

Ben gulped. "I think you should be worried a lot."

"Ben? What are you talking about?"

"I had a bad dream, a really bad dream!"

"What does that have to do…"

"It was about Dad and Breha! I dreamt they were hurt and I know they're scared!"

Leia felt her heart lock up with a fear that she had been trying to push away with her rational mind, and felt the truth behind Ben's words.

"Mom, they need our help. We have to find them!"

Not knowing how to answer her son, she stared at him in silence trying to quell the fear ripping through her mind.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa 

It had to be hours later, Han thought. Too many hours later. He had been put in a solitary cell and stripped down to his boxers so that he couldn't get into any trouble. He hadn't seen anyone since his capture and was worried about Chewie, but more worried about his little girl.

He was rather surprised when Fett showed up a half an hour later, one of his burly guards in tow with Han's clothes in his hand. He gave the other man a questioning look.

"We went through your ship, Solo, and found that you did indeed have some cargo, some very valuable cargo." He paused and shook his head. "It still amazes me that you married a Princess and started a family, you must really have them fooled. But in any event, despite her parentage, she is an innocent and as long as you behave yourself I will allow you to say goodbye to her."

"Return her to Leia." He studied the notorious bounty hunter, his eyes pleading with him. "Please let her go home to her mother, she's an innocent."

Boba Fett bowed his head as if studying the floor for a short while before regarding Solo again. "She is an innocent, but I will not be tracked and found. The world at large believes me to be dead and I intend to keep it that way."

"What are you going to do to her?"

"I will have her deposited at an orphanage off the beaten path. From there someone should recognize her and if things go well she will find her way back to her mother."

"Listen to me. You want me to grovel? I will. I will do anything you ask, just send her to her mother!" Han dropped to his knees, completely submissive to his tormentor.

"The great Han Solo on his knees! Now that is a refreshing sight." Boba Fett sighed. "Solo, I'm touched, really I am. But you should be grateful that I am letting her go without harm."

"I am, but…"

"Be grateful I'm not sending her to the outer rim, or selling her into slavery."

"You wouldn't!" Han shot to his feet.

"Relax! I've already confirmed this. As I've said, she can't help that she has disgusting scum like you for a father." He threw Han's clothes at him. "Now get dressed and I'll let you say goodbye. I'm sending her off with Jasper," he nodded at his assistant, "who will drop her off at an orphanage on his way to sell the Falcon."

Han blinked, he couldn't stand the thought of his beloved ship being sold to someone else, but more importantly how could he trust anyone with his little girl? How could he believe that anyone would take care of her like she deserved?

"Are you sure, Fett? The little Princess is worth a lot of money. I bet Mom would pay well to get her back," Jasper said, objecting to Fett's plan.

"She will, I promise you she will pay well to get her daughter back home."

Boba shrugged. "Money makes no difference to me, this is about revenge, not money." He turned his gaze on Jasper. "Take the ship as we talked about, and drop the girl off. I gave you several planets to pick from…"

"Where? Where are you sending her?"

"Now why would I tell you that? Come now, Solo. There must be some sort of challenge in life. And if you do manage to somehow escape from me with your life I have no desire to make your mission easy." He gave his adversary a smug smile. "Now, do you want to see your daughter, or not?"

"Yeah, I do," he said reaching for his pants.

"Fine. As soon as he's done, bring him out," Fett instructed.

Jasper nodded and watched in silence as Han quickly dressed.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa 

The room was small and equipped with only two chairs and a table, a container of water, and glasses sat on the table.

Han put on his best game face and sat down on a chair as he waited for them to bring Breha to him.

 _Gods, he didn't know what to say_! He had done so many things in his life, been through so many ordeals, but to turn his five-year-old daughter adrift in the world without he or Leia to look after her was the most painful thing he had ever experienced. He refocused on the moment, knowing he'd have plenty of time for self-loathing later. Now he need to focus on Breha, on the things he could tell her in a few short minutes that would help her to take care of herself, that would help her find Leia again.

 _He had to believe that would happen, that with the use of the force they would find their way to one another. He could die a somewhat peaceful death if he knew his little girl would be all right. And although he expected to be tortured and probably killed since Fett was extracting revenge against him, if Breha was safe he was grateful._

The door opened and Breha, escorted by Fett himself entered the room. Fett said nothing but gestured to the empty chair and little girl climbed into it. She glared at Fett and then turned to her father, and in an extremely composed gesture, folded her hands together and set her elbows on the table.

"Father, this man found me and pulled me from the ship. What's happening?"

She reminded him so much of Leia in that moment that he almost cried. _And he knew he was on her shit list when she addressed him as 'father'._

"Breha, are you, all right? I mean, are you really all right? Did they touch you? Hurt you?"

The girl shook her head, picking up on how rattled her father really was at the situation. "I'm fine, Dad."

"You're sure?" He reached across the table and took her small hand in his.

"Yes," she bit her lip, feeling waves of sadness and anger coming from him even though he was doing his best to remain calm. "Dad?" She couldn't hide the anxiety from her voice.

"It will be all right, Bre, I swear. You remember what I told you?"

She nodded slowly, realizing that he was referring to her contacting Uncle Luke and her mother through the force.

"Did that work out?"

"I think it did."

"Good, that's good." Han swallowed with difficulty. He knew they didn't have much more time together before Jasper would take her away. "You have to listen to me Bre, and baby, please believe me, I love you so much that I can't even tell you. You completely fill my heart and you always will."

"I love you too, Daddy." Breha frowned, her eyes dark with concern for her father.

"We're going to be separated but you won't be hurt, you will be taken to a place with strangers but they will look after you. You will still need to do what we talked about, all right? It's important."

"Yes, Daddy."

"And if anyone, I mean anyone tries to hurt to you do what you have to." Han's eyes were dark with determination. "Do what you have to in order to survive."

"Anything?" she squeaked out in a small voice.

"Don't sell yourself ever. But if you are alone for a while and you need to steal food to live, then you do it."

"Daddy!"

Han laughed at her indignant expression. "Bre, it's okay. People aren't always dealt a good hand and sometimes you need to do things like that. I did when I was a kid."

Breha regarded him with a concern much older than her years. "You stole things?"

"Had to, I grew up on the streets."

"I didn't know that."

Han laughed. "Your mother wanted me to have this conversation with you when you were older, but now seems like a good time. Can you listen to my mind?"

Breha nodded and concentrated finding her way into her father's rather chaotic mind and before she could say anything he pushed information, so much information at her that she couldn't take it all in. She gasped after a couple of minutes and regarded him with dark hazel eyes.

"Daddy? That's a lot."

"I know. You'll have to sort through that later. You'll do that for me?"

She nodded.

"Remember, do what you have to, use my knowledge. You're strong, Bre, and can manage until…"

"…got it, Dad."

They stared at each other for long moments, clutching each other's hands.

"What's going to happen to you?" The fear was evident in her eyes and she was suddenly the five-year-old girl she truly was instead of a small imitation of Leia.

"I'll be fine, baby girl. I just need to finish some old business with Mr. Fett. It will be a while before I can leave."

"Is he going to hurt you?"

Han saw the tears in her eyes and went over to her and pulled her to him as she clung to him tightly.

"I'll be fine, Bre, I promise. And I'll find you again."

Fett reinserted himself into the conversation by slowly clapping his hands. "Such a touching farewell. Finish up, Solo, she needs to be on her way."

"Jasper, Fett's friend is going to take you for a ride in the Falcon. Then he will find a place for you to stay. Remember what I said, and don't stop trying, okay?"

"All right, Daddy," the tears were running down her face now.

Han held her to him tightly. "I love you, baby girl. You're Daddy's ray of sunshine."

"I love you too, Daddy."

Fett cleared his throat and with an encouraging squeeze, Han set Breha on the floor, his hands remaining on her shoulders. "Be good, be strong, and I'll find you again, I promise you, Bre."

"Yes, Daddy," Breha wiped away the tears that were running down her cheeks. "I hate crying," she muttered.

"Just like you're mom."

They exchanged on last, long look and Han tried to put all his feelings of love, and confidence in her into it, along with his belief in her strength. Her lips quivered and she nodded and flung herself into his strong arms and held onto him fiercely. There was a quiet knock on the door and Jasper, dressed for travel stepped through the doorway.

"Time to go," Fett said and gently but firmly separated Breha from her father. With her gaze lingering on her father, she was led out of the room.

Han gathered himself together and when he looked at Fett again, his eyes were bright with unshed tears. "I'll make you pay for this no matter what I do," he said in a deceptively calm voice.

"I believe you'll try but somehow I think that will be an extremely difficult proposition for you." Fett sighed. "Come along, Solo. I'll allow you one night of rest, or self-loathing, whichever you choose to call it before we move and I get started with my revenge."

He knocked on the door and another of Fett's henchman appeared to escort Han back to the cell he had previously occupied.

Using all his self-restraint, Han clamped down on his tumultuous emotions not allowing them to overwhelm him until he was alone and could deal with them. When the door shut behind him and he was sealed in for the night, he buried his face in his hands. _He had failed his baby girl, what would become of her now?_

 _aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa_

Just as Fett said, his revenge operation was moved the next day. Han was blindfolded and injected with a drug and when he woke up he was in a cell that appeared to be the same as the one he had left. He rubbed the growth of stubble on his chin and wondered what day it was and how long he'd been out.

His musings were shortened by the sound of the barred door to his cell being opened, and Fett himself stepping inside. Han glared at him and waited to see what kind of words were going to come from that obscene mouth of his.

"Ahh, Solo, glad you're awake. How are you feeling?"

Han remained silent, watching his captor.

"Nothing to say, just as well." Fett shrugged. "It's time for your first session."

"Session?"

"You know, torture. That's why we're here, remember?"

"Sounds like fun, I can hardly wait to get started."

Fett laughed at that and offered him a genuine smile. "There are many things I don't like about you, Solo, but you have a magnificent sense of humor even at the worst of times. I do admire that."

"Stupendous."

"I think it's time to get started. If you behave I'll let you walk."

Han allowed his face to remain impassive, but he knew this could be the only chance he'd get to escape. He shrugged. "I like walking."

Fett inclined his head and gestured towards the door. Han stood up and catching Fett off guard pulled away his walking stick and smashed it over his head which left the man groaning on the floor. Then he ran out the door and got twenty feet down the hallway before an armored guard stepped in front of him. He turned to flee the other way and another guard blocked his exit in the other direction.

Han mentally swore knowing that he was trapped once again.

The sound of slow clapping came from the room that Han had been in and the bounty hunter emerged, only slightly the worse for wear. "Did you really think escape would be that easy? Do you take me for a fool?"

Fett was many things, but not a fool, Han knew his hand had been played and that his bluff was done.

"Cuff him," Fett barked and one of the guards hurried to do his bidding, cuffing him with more force than was necessary.

"Afraid I'm going to overpower him?" Han taunted.

The guard smashed him over the head with a club stick, and Han's knees sagged for a few seconds.

"No, not at all." Fett addressed the guard. "Take him to the chamber, I will be join you momentarily." The guard nodded and a subdued Han was led away.

Han was completely unsure as to what was going to happen to him, he was currently strapped to a rather large medical table by thick, secure, and seemingly unbreakable bindings. His struggles to free himself had only resulted in sore, lacerated wrists.

He looked up as Fett entered the medical playroom and assumed a place at Han's side.

"Comfortable, Solo?"

"Go to hell, Fett."

"I'll take that as a yes." He ran his walking stick down Han's body, allowing him to feel strength of the wood that the stick was made from. He raised the stick and crashed it into Han's unprotected side causing Han to cry out in pain despite his best efforts.

"Yes, that's exactly the reaction I want from you. You need to cry out in pain."

"Why?' Han spit at him.

"Because as Lord Vadar proved, they can hear you."

"They?" Han's gut instinct was screaming at him that something terrible, something more than his torture was going to happen.

"They," Boba Fett breathed with great satisfaction, "your family. They are force sensitive, are they not?"

Han remained silent.

"Don't you remember Cloud City and how Vadar tortured you?"

"I've been tryin' to forget that particular memory."

"Ahh, Solo, it is one of my favorites. Memories. You were tortured and unable to help yourself, you screamed. And they heard. Skywalker and the Princess." He smiled in anticipation. "And they'll hear you again, but I must confess that this time I am hopeful they will feel your pain as well."

"You're insane."

"Am I? Maybe. Maybe not, but you see, it doesn't really matter. All that matters is that they hear you. And since you're not force sensitive you don't have any shields, at least not enough to matter." Fett bent down and whispered into Han's ear. "The family you love will feel your pain. Every single, iota of it. And I will be sure to make it last as long as possible." He straightened up and offered Han a genuine smile. "Shall we begin?"

"Go to the seven hells!"

"Perhaps, someday. But certainly, not before you do." He snapped his hand and a hired medical technician arrived at his side. "We are ready to begin. Is there anything you need?"

"No Mr. Fett," the flunky said as he picked up a tool that resembled a metal stylus but had a sharp precision to it.

"What's that?" Han couldn't help but ask, he had never seen a tool like that.

"It's new, a prototype that will be tested on you. It's an electrical prod that can concentrate electricity in a specific area or across a broader spectrum. We will test it on you and document the results as to its effectiveness."

Han watched with concern as the technician covered most his body with a slimy gel that he could only assume was some sort of conduit for the tool. He swallowed and reminded himself that he had to be strong, that he had to clamp down on the pain and do his best to keep it from being sensed by anyone else.

"You may begin," Fett said and the next instant it felt like a million volts of electricity poured through his body shattering every nerve cell that was part of it. Despite his intentions, he screamed, knowing that he needed some time to be able to get used to controlling this new kind of torture.

 _Daddy_! The voice in his head was Bre and he struggled to find her in his mind. _Daddy!_

 _Honey, listen to me, I don't have much time. Shut down your connection to me._

 _But Daddy!_

 _I don't want you to get hurt because of me. Please, Bre. Do this for me?_

A mental silence ensued and Han knew he didn't have much time. He figured that she heard him because they hadn't gotten very far away from the planet yet.

 _Bre?_

 _Yes, Daddy?_

 _Please. Please listen to me. You have to shut the connection to me. I don't want you hurt because of me._

 _But you're hurt._

 _It will be okay, Bre. Be strong, remember what I said. I love you._

 _I love you too, Daddy._

He sensed her uncertainty as she hovered around their connection.

 _Close it, Bre. It's okay. I love you._

 _Okay, Daddy. Love you too_ , she whispered through the force link she had created. And then much to Han's relief, she was gone. She wouldn't feel his pain, and just in time.

He screamed again as the tool was pressed against his chest and he felt as if every cell in the area exploded from within…

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa 

Distracted with worry, Leia roamed their set of rooms, wandering from one to the other trying to focus her thoughts, trying to find a way to locate her missing husband and daughter, but so far nothing had worked. Needing a break, she shut herself off from the force and tried to catch up on some of her work, but that hadn't work well either, and now she was walking aimlessly. She found Ben watching a holo, snuggled under a blanket on the couch, but saw him wincing in pain.

She stopped beside him and touched his arm, he looked up in surprise. "Mom."

"Ben. Are you all right?"

He swallowed. "Yeah, I guess." He winced again.

"You're not all right. Tell me what's wrong."

"It's Dad, he's in pain. I can feel it."

"What?" Leia reached out towards Ben, but stopped, her eyes asking his permission and he nodded. She reached into his mind with a gentle presence and he guided her to where he felt the pain. She was startled to see her son's connection to Han throbbing a bright red, and although she knew it was a mental representation, it appeared painful. If Ben was feeling this she could imagine why he was hurting. She put aside the thought of what must be happening to Han to cause such a manifestation of pain within their son.

Ben, trust me.

 _Yes, Mom._

 _I'm going to show you more exercises that will calm you, that will let you subdue this pain and then shut it out. Okay?_

She felt Ben's agreement and began to soothe away his pain, glad she could help him, knowing that she would deal with this new issue after Ben was feeling better.

Ben was asleep for the night and now she had time to investigate the links to Han. She had searched the link to Breha and although she felt her life force pulsing steady, she couldn't tell anything else except that she was alive and apparently well.

Tentatively, dreading what she would find, Leia sat in their bedroom and took a deep breath, preparing herself for what she was about to face. _Steady, Leia, you can do this_ , she thought knowing that part of her would welcome any contact with Han no matter how painful. And maybe if she could focus tightly enough she could find out where he was, that was if he knew the answer to that question.

She slowly lowered her shields and cast out into the force seeking the unique signature that belonged to Han Solo and was rewarded a few minutes later with an awareness of his presence. She almost cried in joy but realized that he wasn't aware of her, it was as if she was running into a mental shield of some kind. _How was that possible?_ She knew he had remarkably strong shields for someone who wasn't force sensitive, but she had never run into them herself.

Not knowing what else to do, not wanting to push through his shields, she did the only thing she felt she could do, she quietly touched his mind and waited a moment for recognition to set in. After a few moments, there was no acknowledgement, so she tried again a bit more forcefully.

 _Han?_

A long pause and then a shocked answer _. Leia? Leia? Go away._

 _No. Tell me._

 _Fett is torturing me. He wants my family to suffer along with me._

 _How?_ She shook her head trying to understand.

 _Force…sensitive, you're all force sensitive. You can…feel my pain…_ his thoughts were tinged with sorrow.

 _Where are you?_

 _Don't know._

 _Where's Bre?_

 _Don't know._

She almost cried out as a new wave of agony flowed through him and she heard his screaming in her mind despite his efforts to shut it down. After a couple of minutes, he was back, and she was sure she saw the color pulsing a bright red in her mental contact with him.

 _Go, Leia. Leave me._

 _Never!_

 _Shut this down…I don't want you to feel my…pain…_

Leia hesitated, knowing that focusing on what was happening to him wouldn't solve the problem of where he or Breha was, it would only cause them distress.

 _Please, Leia. Shut down. I can handle this…_

Leia swallowed, knowing this was one of the most difficult things she would ever do.

 _I'll find you, Han. I promise._

 _Bre, find Bre…_

 _I love you_ , she impressed upon him.

He didn't return the sentiment in words, but she felt his love for her and the children flow out from him in waves of gloriously powerful love that could never be denied.

She mentally offered him what reassurance she could and with great reluctance shut her connection to Han, knowing that she was leaving him alone to deal with whatever torture he was experiencing. No matter what it took she was taking off with Luke as soon as he arrived the next day and they would find Han and Breha.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa 

The ship Leia had borrowed was certainly not the Falcon. She often teased her husband about his modified freighter, but she knew that it really was the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy, just as he claimed. She sat in the co-pilot's chair next to Luke, watching as her brother skillfully flew the small ship, coaxing as much speed from it as humanly possible.

Luke saw the worry lines that seemed permanently etched on Leia's face. "It will be fine," he said trying to reassure her.

"Yeah, of course."

Neither one of them really believed it.

"Han didn't want us to feel his pain," Leia said. "And to have Breha send us a message through the force…Han had to be desperate." She met her brother's gaze. "What's happened to them, Luke?"

"I don't know, but they're both alive which is good news."

"But their essence is weaker," Leia frowned. "Why is that?"

"Could be lots of things. Maybe they're not on planet anymore, maybe something is interfering with our sensing them. Anything."

Leia fidgeted. "How long?"

Luke gazed at the chronometer and gave her a hopeful smile. "Only a couple of hours, so we'll be there soon."

"Good," Leia said and settled back in her seat.

Luke could feel the waves of worry rolling off her and knew that if he wasn't good at shielding his emotions, she'd feel the same thing from him. Something was very wrong, both Han and Breha's life indicators in the force had weakened, and no matter how he regarded it, it just wasn't right. He kept his shields up and his thoughts to himself, the last thing he needed to do was give Leia more reason to worry about her family.


	5. Chapter 5

_AN: Thanks for your great reviews!_

 **Chapter 5**

The Falcon flew effortlessly through space as Breha watched from the co-pilot's seat and she studied the man beside her. There was nothing special about Jasper, He was a middle-aged man with thinning hair, green eyes and a bulky, muscled body. She hadn't figured out yet if he was intelligent or not, but he followed orders well.

They were a few hours out of port and she wasn't at all sure where she was being taken. She had learned a lot about the galaxy from her father, but didn't have his experience or knowledge to guide her by looking at the stars.

She mentally sighed, wishing he was here with her.

After a few minutes, Jasper finally looked over at her.

"What's your name?" he said gruffly.

She shrugged.

"Do you have a name or not?"

Breha decided then and there that she didn't want this oaf calling her by her real name. "Daddy calls me his little ray of sunshine." She folded her arms in front of her.

"Fine. I'll call you Rey. It's good enough for me," he grunted.

"Whatever."

"You've been pretty good so far, not trying to run away…"

"I'm on a ship, where am I going to go?" She rolled her eyes at him and knew her Dad would have laughed at her reaction.

"I'm…that is…I'm sorry for what I have to do. You seem like a nice kid." Jasper grimaced in what he probably considered a smile.

"I am. Why are you taking me? And what's going to happen to my father?" Breha demanded.

"I will bring you to an orphanage where someone can take care of you. You're a smart kid, you should be able to find your way back."

"And my father?"

Jasper looked away from her and he shut up, and just from the defenses he put up around himself, Breha knew it was bad.

"You're going to hurt him?"

"I'm not."

"But Boba Fett is?"

Jasper looked at her, keeping his face impassive but he finally nodded.

Breha sank back in her seat. She had been trying to ignore how bad things were, how a great time with her Dad had turned into something she could never have imagined. She was okay, and somehow felt she would remain okay, but she knew her Dad was in trouble. She was sure she had a couple of days before they arrived at wherever Jasper was going., maybe she could figure out a way to help her Dad, she knew he was in trouble; she could still feel twinges of his pain even from here. _If I escape after we land I can help him,_ she thought. _Maybe when Jasper tries to sell the Falcon._

There would be a chance to escape from Jasper, she was sure of it. She just had to wait for the right opportunity and then she could flee, find her Mom, and rescue her Dad. It seemed like a good plan, so she sat back against Uncle Chewie's chair and wondered what the next couple of days would be like.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Han struggled to sit up, groggy from whatever medication he had been injected with, he didn't know if hours or days had passed by him. He was so out of things that he could hardly put two thoughts together, who had him and what had been done to him?

He groaned as he sat up, head throbbing mercilessly.

"Ahh, Solo, you're finally awake. Good."

Han squinted at the voice but could only see the bright light behind the man. He struggled to remember, to clear the cobwebs from his head. "Fett?"

"Yes, Fett. And now that you're awake and the distractions are removed we can get down to business."

Distractions? Han frowned, trying to remember. Breha!

"Give him the shot," Fett instructed and unable to fight off the two behemoths, he felt the shot and its contents emptied into his arm.

"Ahh, so much better. The shot will enhance everything you feel, specifically the pain. And perhaps your emotional pain as well. I've never actually tortured someone emotionally, it could be entertaining." He scratched his misshapen chin.

"How did you survive?" Han rasped, the drug starting to enhance everything around him. The sounds were louder, the lights were brighter, his heart beat harder.

"A bit of luck. The Sarlaac reacted to something else it ate, and I found myself expelled in a very undignified manner. I was disfigured, and injured, but non-the-less, grateful to be alive." He paused. "I dragged myself to a town on that poor excuse for a planet and managed to get off Tatooine. I had a lot of time to think about things and the more I thought the more apparent it became that you are the source my misery. And since I can't change what has happened to me the only recourse I have is to change the course of your life."

"Why?" Han grated out, trying to comprehend through the overstimulation of the drugs.

"To even the slate. To exact my revenge."

"Leave my daughter out of it."

"I already have. She's not here, is she?" he asked mildly.

Fett nodded to one of his burly assistants. "Bring him along."

"What are you going to do to me?" Han growled, still trying to control the drugs flowing through his system.

"I know you're a fan of electrocution, I remember your screams from the heat grid. It seems like a good place to start today, with one of your favorites."

Han growled and tried to twist away, but with his perceptions distorted he was easily subdued, and barely conscious he was strapped into the device.

Fett chuckled with a malicious glee. "Now the fun begins."

Han held out for as long as he could, but in minutes he was screaming as it felt like every nerve ending in his body was on fire…

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

It had been a frustrating day since they had arrived on Corellia. They had checked the docking manifest which showed the day and time that the Millennium Falcon arrived and the day and time the ship departed which was only the day before. The dock master confirmed the Falcon had indeed departed and offered Han Solo's signature as proof to them, the only problem was that it wasn't Han's signature. After yelling at the dock master for a couple of minutes, Luke escorted Leia away, knowing the event had already happened and there was nothing that the man could do to rectify the mistake.

Luke spent some time meditating with the force in order to get some impression of where the two of them might be, but had little luck. He encouraged Leia to try it, citing that she might do better since she was intimately connected to both of her family members.

With great reluctance, but nearing a point of personal desperation, Leia agreed. She sat down near Luke and assumed a relaxed position, having done this on occasion in attempts to relax her stressed out mind. The use of the force running through her had never been as important as it was in this moment.

She began her breathing techniques, in and out, even and calm as she sought to find the peace the force could offer, as she sought to find those that she held most dear to her.

Leia's connection to Breha sparked first, and could tell she was all right, alive and unharmed.

 _Breha!_

 _Mom?_

 _Baby, are you all right?_

 _Yeah._

 _Where are you?_

… _don't…know…haven't landed…_

There was something interfering with their connection as it was fading fast.

… _save Dad…._

And then the connection disappeared. Leia could still feel her faint light and though irritated, it was peaceful. She was relatively certain Breha was physically unharmed and that thought gave her a moment of peace. But the fact that her baby girl was very worried about her father…

Calming herself, Leia reached out again through the force and found Han, it was always easy for her as his essence was the bright light whenever she was in darkness, he always soothed her anxious soul.

She had difficulty establishing her usually easy connection to him and when she did she almost fainted at the magnitude of pain that hit her. She was overpowered by a rush of intense feelings of pain; jagged, intense pain which seared every cell of his body as he cried out time and time again. And through it all she felt the resounding conviction that he would survive it to find Breha.

Somehow, he became aware of Leia as he fought his way through the pain of what was being done to him.

 _Leia!_

 _Han! Where are you?_

 _Still don't know….Fett…._

 _Boba Fett?_ Her reaction was incredulous.

… _wants revenge…Bre was taken to be put in…an orphanage…_

 _Han?_ Leia was almost in tears as on some level she was feeling his pain and amazed he could even try to communicate with her.

 _...find her…_

"Han?" Leia spoke as if he were in the room and surprised, Luke watched her.

… _don't know…find Bre…please!_ He begged and for a moment he raised his head up and Leia somehow got a picture of him through the force. He was beaten, bruised and bloody with needle marks up and down his arms.

… _find Bre! Let me be!_ He insisted and then like a plug had been pulled the visions were gone, leaving Leia breathing heavy as she sat on the floor of the ship they were in.

"Leia?" Luke said and approached cautiously, not knowing if she was done with her vision.

"Luke?" Leia blinked and then found herself staring at her brother. "Han," she bit her lip and tried not to cry.

"It's bad," Luke's reply was more of a statement than a question, and Leia nodded.

"Did you connect with Breha?"

A small smile graced Leia's face. "I found her, we spoke for just a moment. She's okay. Alive and well and on the Falcon. Han said they're taking her to an orphanage somewhere."

"There's a lot of orphanages in the galaxy," Luke grimaced.

"I'll put out a missing child alert and have the Republic contact them with Breha's description."

"That will help but it may not get her back."

"Just what do you suggest? I haven't heard anything helpful coming out of your mouth," she snapped.

"Why don't you put out the alert now, use your contacts, and when you are done we can talk about Han."

"What's there to discuss? We have to find him."

"Yes, but we need a plan, and a way to trace where he is. Did he know where he was?"

"No," Leia shook her head. "He only told me to go after Breha."

"Then maybe it's what we should do?"

"And give up on Han?" Leia glared at her brother. "Never."

Luke expelled a deep breath. "Leia, I know you're emotional right now, and believe me when I say I want to save both of them, but what if you can't. What if you have to choose? Who will it be?"

Leia blinked at him in horror. The idea of choosing between the two of them had never entered her mind.


	6. Chapter 6

_AN: Thanks for the reviews - much appreciated!_

 **Chapter Six**

Breha had been in Jasper's company for over a week and she was getting tired of him. The exceedingly average man had settled into a routine with her and as long as she behaved he fed her and didn't raise a hand towards her, he even talked to her from time to time.

The trip with him was more boring than anything but it gave her time to think about what was going on. She tried reaching out to her Mom but could only get a sense her presence, she was unable to get a message through to her. She knew that Uncle Luke was stronger in the force so she didn't understand at all why he couldn't hear her. He was a jedi knight, wasn't that his job?

 _Ben!_ She tried calling her brother. Ben!

She thought she heard him whisper her name but then it was gone.

No one could hear her.

She frowned and cautiously tried reaching for her Dad again but with some hesitation as she was afraid of what she would find, he was so insistent that she stay away from him. She was afraid for him, and when she shut the door to his quarters she often cried on his bed. Rummaging through the cabin she usually stayed in when they took a family trip on the Falcon, she retrieved her x- wing pilot doll that Han had given her as a baby to go with the helmet that Uncle Luke had given her. She brought them to her Dad's cabin to stay on the bed along with Bacca, they helped her not cry so hard at night.

She searched for her Dad and found him in the currents of the force, but his life reading seemed so weak, it scared her.

Dad," she whispered but knew he couldn't hear her.

Breha tried to think of what she could do to get away from Jasper and back to her family, and remembered the information that her father passed to her before she left, too much information for her to understand all at once but now that she had time she could sort through it, and use what she needed, use what her father gave her to find her way home.

Concentrating she sat on her Dad's bunk, found the memories and information that she took from him, and began to sort through what she would need to survive.

Two days later, they landed on some planet she had never heard of, and with a growled warning for her not to shoot off her mouth, Jasper dragged her along when he went to negotiate the sale of the Falcon. From what Breha saw, Jasper picked up a considerable amount of money for the sale of her father's prized ship, and they were allowed an hour to retrieve what they wanted from it before it belonged to them no more.

Breha wasn't allowed to take much, but she retried her sleeping companions including Bacca and put them in her backpack along with a shirt of her father's, and some of her clothes.

Once the ship was sold Jasper was cheerful to the point of being generous and almost dragged her into a local pet shop. He said he felt sorry for her and no one should be alone and told her to pick out a pet she could bring with her when they made their next stop and he left her at an orphanage. Torn between his unexpected consideration and annoyance that he was still going to leave her alone in a place she didn't know, she decided having a pet with her would be a good thing.

There was a cute fuzzy creature called an Urmine, that had a long sleek furred body, small webbed feet, dark mask on its head, and distinctly pointed carnivorous teeth, but she liked it. It was sweet, playful, and gentle and despite the razor sharp teeth she knew it wouldn't hurt her. Somehow the mischievous glint in its eyes reminded her of her father and she decided to name the young male Urmine, Han.

Jasper snorted at her name choice but said nothing else, and they departed the pet store completely unaware that a little known fact about Urmines was that they subdued force users, not intentionally, it was just a latent manifestation of their physical nature.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa 

When Han awoke he found himself hanging in metal shackles, chained to a sturdy wall. He put aside the pain and turned to study the shackles only to find they were surprisingly solid, but the plates holding the chains in place were rusty and starting to loosen. Maybe with a bit of force they could be loosened from the wall and he could free himself.

He took a deep breath and mentally tried to tabulate the injuries inflicted on him, but realized there were too many to count, and knew it would take all of his fortitude to get out of this mess, but as he always told anyone that would listen, never tell him the odds. He knew his chances of getting out of here alive were slim to none, but he didn't care, he had to survive and escape so he could find Breha, and Chewie. What happened to him?

Almost as if on cue, he heard a giant wookie bellow of pain from somewhere in the building complex Han was housed in, and he closed his eyes, sorry for what his friend had to endure. He would find a way to get him out too.

He took a deep breath and calmed himself, schooling himself to ignore the pain while his body screamed at him to stay still, but he didn't listen and steeled himself against the lancing pain that ripped through his back and chest as deep lacerations were opened again when he began to pull against the chains. He was rewarded with a small bit of movement from the plate on the wall.

 _I'm going to get out of here to find you Bre, or I'll die trying,_ he thought.

With a grim set to his lips, Han began to pull against the chains that bound him.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa 

Leia who was staring out the window of the cockpit of their non-descript small passenger ship when Luke approached her.

"Have you found anything?" she asked, not bothering to turn around.

"Leia, something will turn up."

"When? We've been here a week and there's not a trace of them. The last indication they were here was when Han signed the manifest log, which he clearly didn't do."

"And you haven't felt them, either of them since the initial…"

She shook her head. "No."

"I don't sense…a hole where they should be in the force…"

"I don't either," Luke tried to encourage his sister.

"Well I suppose it's something." She turned to face her brother and Luke saw the unshed tears in her eyes that she was trying to hide. "Now what do we do?"

"We go home and you organize the search for Breha, and Han."

"Why?"

"Because you're a master at those kind of things."

"And what will you be doing?"

"I check with some of Han's old contacts, including Lando. Maybe they can give us insight into Fett and where he might have taken Han." He paused and gave her a significant glance. "Then you can concentrate on finding Breha."

"How can I choose between them, Luke?" Her voice was sad.

"You don't have to, Leia. I'll find Han for you. Unless you want us both to look for Breha?" he cocked his head at her. "Tell me what you need and I'll do it."

She gave him a sad smile. "You're a good brother, Luke. Let's start like you suggested."

"Let your force senses guide you, Leia. We'll contact Lando on the way back and we can see what he knows."

Leia nodded and turned away again, and Luke felt the anguish in her words. "Where are they, Luke? Why can't I reach them?"

Unable to answer, Luke gave her a quick reassuring squeeze on her shoulder as he brushed by her and into the main body of the ship.

"Where are you, Bre? And Han, damn you, don't give up! We'll find you, I promise," she whispered to the air, and turned and went to help Luke prep the ship for their departure.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa 

It had been two weeks since Jasper had taken Breha from her father's side. Possibly the longest two weeks of her life, and she stared at the older man in annoyance. Despite the fact, he had sold the Falcon five days ago, and his instructions were to drop her off at an orphanage, they blithely sailed through space on a less noticeable and certainly less reliable excuse for a ship. It seemed he wasn't in any hurry to part with her company. It gave her more time to go through her father's knowledge and make some sense of things, she was amazed at some of the things he did as a child, shocked, and wondered how much her mother knew because they never talked about her Dad's past. She knew she only had bits and pieces and he had mostly shared survival skills for tight situations, _but Dad!_

They were headed to someplace that she had never heard of, a place called, Jazzue, or Jaccu, or something. It was a place she had never once heard her father mention and she was pretty sure he knew everything about locations of planets in the galaxy.

 _Daddy!_ The thought of him caused tears to form in her eyes. She hadn't been able to sense him lately, or her Mom and she was worried her because the last time she felt him he was in such pain. She missed him and wanted nothing more than to be home with him and her mother, and even her bratty older brother Ben. Where were they all and what were they doing? Were they looking for her and Dad?

She sighed and stroked her Urmine, Han, who purred at her touch and nestled closer. She was glad she had her pet, he helped make it all bearable.

 _Where was he? What had happened to him?_

 _aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa_

Han's head lolled back against the wooden bench he was lying on as he struggled to consciousness. He was dimly aware of voices around him and concentrated as he tried to listen, tried to focus on what was happening.

"Solo, you're awake. Good."

He was prodded none too gently by a stick in his ribs, and cracked an eye open, and then closed it again after seeing Fett's ugly face.

"Solo, I need you to stay awake." The butt end of the stick poked Han in the ribs again and he gasped in pain, curling up to protect his injured side.

"You have sustained an amazing amount of damage to your body, as I'm sure you know since you're feeling the effects." Solo cracked open an eye and regarded his adversary and the pleased expression the man had on his face. "I wanted to make you suffer, and now you are. It is immensely satisfying."

Without warning he jabbed Han in the ribs again until he cried out in pain.

"Do you know you have an almost unheard of fortitude when it comes to torture? I expected as much because even Lord Vadar was impressed with you."

"Are you done yet?" Han growled out.

"Not yet. I wanted to give you a little time to recover."

"Why?"

"I want to torture you longer. What fun is it if I put you out of your misery too soon." He bent down so that he was level with Han and stared into his agonized face. "Now you have me wondering just what is it that keeps you going? Why do you struggle to remain alive when every breath has to be an agony for you?"

"You wouldn't understand," Han mumbled.

"No? You're probably right. " He grabbed Han's hair roughly and the other man cried out in pain. "But know this, Solo. You will not be saved at the last minute as you were at Jabba's, no one knows where you are, no one will ever find you until it is far too late." He chuckled in satisfaction. "When your beautiful wife finds you, and who knows, maybe your children as well, you will be long dead with your carcass left for carrion."

Unable to respond, Han moaned.

"I will have someone tend to the worst of your injuries so you don't die immediately because I still have plans for you."

"Chewie…" Han mumbled.

"You are still concerned about the Wookie?" Again Fett's low chuckle sounded in Han's ears. "I assure you, I am taking care of him as well. Torturing him is almost as satisfying as torturing you. Almost. Not quite."

"I'm gonna….kill…you…."

Fett laughed out loud, lifted Han's head by his hair again and slammed it against the wooden bench.

"No. You. Are. Not." He stood up and brushed the lint off his pants. "But I will kill you. It's only a matter of when."

The world growing dim around him, Han did the only thing he could do and surrendered to the darkness.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa 

Darkness had never been like this. Sleep had never been like this.

Breha blinked and opened her eyes as they tried to focus. She groaned at how much her head hurt, and tried very hard not to cry. When she opened them again she saw wreckage all around her, it seemed the small spaceship had crashed, but somehow she was alive.

After a few minutes she realized she was hanging upside down, and it was causing blood to drip from her forehead onto the floor. After some wiggling, she managed to extricate herself from the crash webbing, and with a thud, fell to the floor.

"Kriffin' hell," she swore, and began to apologize, but realized there was no one to apologize to, only her. She did her best to get out of the wreckage, looking to see if anyone else was around, but she found no one.

When she climbed out, she emerged into an arid landscape with sand around her as far as the eye could see. She couldn't remember what her normal was, but this wasn't it.

She sat down in the shade from the wrecked ship and rested. _Who was she? Where was she from? Where her parents? Why was she alone?_ She had just started to cry, when she heard a little noise coming from the ship and cautiously looked inside only to see the Urmine limping towards her.

"Han!" She cried, and frowned, knowing the name should mean more to her than just a pet, but trying hard to remember only made her head hurt more.

"Come here, Han," she whispered and the small, furry pet made its way over to her. She gently picked it up and put it in her lap. It curled up as though grateful to be there and mewled to her.

"I know, Han. I don't know where we are either," she said, petting its small head. "And except for you I don't know anyone in the whole world."

She kept in the shade of the ship waiting for the temperature to drop, and when it did she took her pet, the water and rations she could find, her beloved toys and her backpack. A short distance away from the ship she found a set of footprints moving on a completely different path, and having no other ideas she opted to follow them hoping they would lead her to some people that could help her.

She trudged along for hours, resting only when she needed to and drinking as little water as possible. Her body ached, and her head hurt when she touched it, but she needed to be strong. _Smarts and strength would get you through anything, her father had told her. Why could she remember what he said, but not remember him?_

She tried to dredge up more memories but only found an echo of her mother's voice, "you are a special girl, always believe in yourself." She concentrated harder and remembered her father calling her "Rey", along with some other words, _was that her name?_ Since she couldn't come up with anything else she thought that it must be true.

As the sun came up over the horizon she was glad she'd been walking as the desert planet had grown quite cold overnight, and she shivered in the first rays of the new day. She paused when she saw some buildings in the distance, nothing special but the first signs of life she had seen since the crash. The footsteps she started to follow disappeared after only an hour into her journey, and not knowing which way to go she had concentrated on the feeling inside of her which had guided her here, on the fringes of this desert settlement.

She shifted uneasily wondering what kind of people lived there, and if they liked little girls. Then she straightened up her shoulders, held her Urmine to her safely, and let her feet guide her into the village.

After a short amount of time she found herself standing in front of a small dwelling, wondering if she should knock, or call out? Somehow, she knew this was where she needed to be and she pondered what to do next when a middle-aged man emerged from the dwelling, scratched his chin, and stretched. He stopped mid-stretch and turned as if he suddenly realized she was there.

Although suspicious, his face was kind. He had a close cropped and a craggy face. He approached her slowly as if he was afraid she would run away from him, but she stayed rooted to the spot, watching him.

He knelt down so that he was on eye level with her. "Hello. My name is Alson. Who might you be?"

"Rey. My name is Rey."

"Hello, Rey. I'm pleased to meet you." He looked behind her into the distance. "Where are your parents?"

She bit her lip, but finally nodded as if deciding to answer him. "I'm here alone. The ship crashed."

The man hesitated as if he was unsure of how to say something. "And your parents died?"

"No," she shook her head. "I don't think they were with me."

"You don't think…you mean you don't know?" He looked at her in concern, suddenly aware of the blood on her face.

She shook her head. "I don't remember…" she whispered.

"And you walked all the way from your ship to here?"

"Yeah." She twitched as her Urmine scratched against her. "Han! Stop it!" she scolded as she retrieved the troublesome pet.

"Han? Is that what you call your pet?"

"Yes," she said and looked at the man who now watched her intently.

"It's a nice name, where did you get it from?"

"I don't know, I just like it." She shrugged. "It fits him I think, he quite mischievous."

"So he is," the man's green eyes twinkled with curiosity. "I bet you're tired."

She nodded. "And hungry."

"Come inside. I will feed you and let you sleep. And get you cleaned up." The man opened his tent flap to allow her entrance, but she hesitated.

"What's wrong?"

She wrinkled her face and studied him. "I'm not supposed to be with strangers."

"Who told you that?"

"My parents. Especially my Mom…" she frowned as her voice trailed away.

"Do you know who your parents are?"

"No." Her shoulders sagged, and she wiped at a tear trailing down her cheek.

"It's all right, Rey. I will help you find your parents and in the meantime you can rest."

"Really?" The smile she gave him was hopeful.

"Really." He gestured to the entrance. "Come on in and have breakfast with me. And we can talk."

"All right," Rey agreed, and trusting her feelings, she reached out and put her hand in his as the kind, older man led her into his dwelling.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

The wine glass was empty, drained and Leia debated if she should have more.

The month-long search for both Breha and Han had gone absolutely nowhere. Despite exhausting nearly all the resources at her disposal there was still no leads on either Breha or Han. She was somewhat hopeful about her daughter, she needed her back and would do anything to get her, but she still felt…well…healthy.

When she thought of Han, she had to restrain her tears. His life essence was so weak that it almost didn't exist, she felt he was dying, and if they didn't find him soon it would be far too late.

Her heart ached for him, and somehow without being force sensitive, he had shut down his connection to her, there were only a couple of flares of extreme pain as if he couldn't contain them, followed by tremendous guilt and regret. And the signal she felt from him was rapidly fading… a couple of times she thought it had stopped completely.

"Oh, Han, where are you?" she whispered to the empty room, but as expected, there was no answer.

She regarded her wine glass with longing, the wine bringing her comfort on this lonely night when her thoughts had turned melancholy, but nothing except for finding them would make the pain go away, and her heart ached with the knowledge they hadn't found them yet.

"Mom?"

Her son's querulous voice and troubled expression broke her out of her reverie, and she patted a spot beside her on the couch. "What is it, Ben?"

"Couldn't sleep," he mumbled.

"What's wrong?"

"Mom, when are they coming back?"

"I don't know, love, we're trying to find them."

"Mom?"

Ben swallowed and Leia heard the shake in his voice and looked at him in alarm.

"I'm scared. What if they don't come back?" Ben curled into her side and she hugged him.

"Mom, I'm really afraid."

"Why?" Leia pulled back and looked into his face.

"Something's going to happen, soon. And I don't know if it's good or bad." He paused. "It's Dad."

"Not Bre?"

Ben cocked his head as if thinking for the moment. "No. Wherever she is she's okay. But Dad isn't." A tear leaked out of Ben's eye. "He's really hurt. I can feel it."

"I know, honey, I feel it too."

Ben bit his lip and Leia realized he was trying hard not to cry. Concerned she knelt by his side. "Ben? What is it?"

He suddenly let out a shriek of pain that caused all the alarms of her mother instincts to go off in her mind. Quickly she felt over him, pulling up his shirt, pulling down his pants, looking for some sort of wound as he screamed and crumpled to the floor, curling up into a fetal position. There were no obvious signs of injury, so heart pounding in her chest she caressed his cheek, muttering sounds of comfort until he finally looked at her.

"Ben?"

Without a word, he opened himself up to her in the force and she felt a sharp lance of pain run through her, as if a laser sharp spear had just pierced her side.

"It's Dad," he whispered. "Sometimes I feel him…" the boy swallowed and felt the pain slowly subsiding.

When she felt, it was all right, when her touch wouldn't hurt him, when the pain had gone away, she pulled her to him and rocked with him against her as when he was a toddler. "How long has this been going on?"

"Not long. It started the last couple of weeks. I think it's because he's…because he's dying, Mom." Tears streaming down her son's face. "What do we do?"

"We keep looking. And we find him. Soon."

"Promise, Mom? I want him back with us. Bre too."

Leia leaned over and kissed her son's forehead. "I know, I miss them too."

They hugged each other tighter, rocking back and forth in silence seeking comfort from one another in their grief.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa 

Han hung weakly from the chains, his wrists rubbed raw from repeated escape attempts, his back flayed open from a whip and fine metal chains, he hadn't had water or food in days, and was currently sleep deprived. It was only his sheer will, his determination to get out and find his daughter and bring her home to his family that kept him going, that kept his heart beating. And Han Solo was nothing if not stubborn, but he knew he was in trouble. No matter how hard he fought, no matter how he struggled to survive, a body could only take so much. He was nearing the end of his rope, and he knew it.

A familiar sound broke through the thrum of his dulled consciousness and he was surprised when his lolling head was lifted very gently by furry hands. He found himself staring into Chewie's concerned eyes.

 _Han!_

"Chewie, thank God, you're alive! He looked at his friend and realized the Wookie hadn't done much better than he did. Are you all right?"

 _No, but I'll survive. I have to get you out of here._

No! Han shook his head. "I'm locked in…you can't escape…if you help…me…"

 _I can't leave you. The life debt…_

"Use it for Breha, for Leia…" Han painfully raised his dislocated shoulder to grip his friend's shaved, bleeding shoulder. "You have to leave. It's the only chance….I have…only chance…they have…"

Chewbacca and Han exchanged a long, significant look and Han's head fell to his chest.

"Help them, Chewie, please help them…"

 _I will, Cub, and I will be back soon!_ Chewie turned and Han heard his footsteps disappearing down the hall.

"Leia, Bre, Ben…Chewie will help…Chewie…find…Chewie…" he swallowed with difficulty, and thought of Leia, desperately hoping that somehow, she would hear him through the force link she created.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa 

The fleet ships landed on the outer rim planet of Ord Mantell with Leia in command. The distress call they had received from Chewbacca was specific about where to be and requested they get there as quickly as possible so they had time to save Han.

After they landed the crew, Leia sped off to the nearby medical facilities where Chewbacca was being kept in the intensive care unit. He had been shaved down and now looked like a fuzzy teddy bear, but a very injured one. Through the fuzz, healing scars could be seen from numerous cuts and lacerations, and dark bruising was visible through the fuzz. He had several tubes attached to him too, which further indicated the extent of his serious injuries

"Chewie?"

The Wookie howled a greeting and tried to climb out of the bed where he was reclining only to be pushed back by some strong medical personnel.

 _Little princess! I am glad to see you. You must save Han._

"He's alive?" Leia suddenly found it hard to swallow.

 _He lives, though I am not sure how. He is…_ Chewie dropped his head and made a mournful sound.

Leia studied him with worried eyes.

"You didn't take him with you?" Leia was stunned for she couldn't imagine Chewbacca ever leaving Han behind.

 _If I were free I knew I could bring help, there was not enough time…he told me to go…_ The Wookie gave her an earnest look. _He lives. Go Princess. I will come with…_

Chewbacca attempted to sit up and grunted with the pain as the medical personal pushed him down onto his bed again. The Wookie coughed harshly and regarded Leia with sadness.

 _I am too weak, I will only delay you. Please, Little Princess._

Leia nodded, and she laid a comforting hand on his chest and she thought the Wookie blushed.

 _My apologies for my appearance. I am practically naked. They shaved me…_ Chewie hung his head in embarrassment

"Why would they do that?"

 _To humiliate me._ He couldn't look at Leia anymore

"Chewie, we never received a ransom message."

 _There was no ransom. It was all about Boba Fett's revenge_. Chewie hung his head again. _I'm sorry I failed them, Princess. The blame is mine._

"It's not your fault, but right now we need to get Han. I'm bring in the strike force leader and we can go over logistics.

"I beg your pardon," said one of the medical technicians that hovered nearby, "but Chewbacca is still in need of medical attention. He should be resting now."

The wookie growled in a menacing tone, and Leia glared at the medic who took a step back.

"Uhh, okay, it can wait for a while."

"Chewie, I'll be back in five minutes. We have to go find Han."

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa 

They found him a day later in a sterile, clean, soundproofed room that had once been one of the Empire's most dreaded Insane Asylum's. It had been closed when the empire fell some ten years previously, but the building remained in surprisingly good shape.

Leia and her strike team entered the building expecting to be attacked, but no attack ever came. An eerie sense of foreboding filled her with dread, and as Leia made her way through the unfamiliar building she reached out with her senses and felt the smallest glimmer of Han's essence through the force. She stopped outside of the sealed door of a room hidden in the cellar of the building.

"He's here," she murmured, her hands on the door. She reached to open the door but the it didn't budge.

One of the task force stepped forward and pulled out a laser to cut through the lock. It took a few minutes with Leia watching impatiently, but finally part of the lock fell inside the room with a resounding clank. The technician quickly finished his job and pushed the door open for Leia.

The room was barren, empty except for the shape of a body that looked as if it had carelessly been tossed into a dark corner like a broken toy.

"Han!" Before Leia was aware of it she was next to him. He lie curled in a protective position, trying to shield his side. His leg was broken as was one of his wrists, there were horribly dark bruises on his sides and his breath was shallow. His shoulder and knee were dislocated, and his head and face were bloody, onr eye swollen shut.

"Medics! Here!"

She was surprised to hear Han's voice rasp out a word.

"Breha…" He breathed, "…Breha…" he whispered as his breath faded away.

The medics pushed her out of the way and began emergency care of Han, their grim faces telling Leia how desperate his struggle to cling to life really was.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa 

The holovids were on a news channel while Ben's favorite nanny Susan went into the kitchen to prepare lunch for her and Ben. Leia had left Ben in her care while she was off planet looking for Han. Ben looked up from the homework he was doing on his data pad when he heard the name of his parents repeated with some urgency and the image he saw was appalling. The news clip showed Han being brought into the hospital from a medical space ship, a close up showed how beat up and ill he really was, tubes sticking out of him, and a medical person beside him pumping his chest. Horrified, Ben sank to his knees and suddenly became aware of his mother's panicked state and the fear within her. It was something Ben had never felt from her.

Then the second thing occurred to him. Breha wasn't there, she wasn't anywhere close.

"No, no, no!" he yelled into the empty room causing Susan to come running from the kitchen.

"Ben? What is it?"

"No! No! No!" he chanted.

 _Ben, I can help you,_ the whisper said.

The emotions rushed through his mind. Strong, unyielding emotion filled with grief, sadness and despair, but also anger at what had happened to them; anger that his father was tortured and almost murdered; anger that his sister was still gone.

 _Let me help you,_ hissed the voice inside his head. _I can help you be the person you were meant to be, let Kylo out…_

"No! No! NO!" Ben shouted and the glass in two rooms shattered as he let out a soul splitting scream. "Get out of my head!" He held his hands to his ears.

Susan swallowed nervously, but rushed to his side. Her gentle hands got him to remove his hands from his ears as he began to hear her, began to listen to her, and he clutched her like he was drowning and she was the only thing saving him.

"It's okay, Ben. They found your Dad, they can help him now," she murmured into his ear.

He concentrated on her words, listening only to them and after a few minutes the demons in his mind were quiet.

Things were bad, so bad for Han, that Leia wasn't sure how she was holding herself together. If Han died, she wasn't sure what would happen to her because he was the light of her life.

He kept them all centered and grounded. He may not have the force, but he was one of the most perceptive people she had ever known and had a way of saying the exact right thing at the exact right time; at least when he wasn't being intentionally irritating. He also excelled at pushing people's buttons at the exact wrong time, but thinking about it, maybe that was intentional too.

She sat at his bedside, watching the graphs on the monitors as they stayed steady, she watched the ventilator which helped his lungs continue to breathe, and drew a shaky breath herself. He wasn't out of the woods by a longshot, but for the moment he was stable.

His long list of injuries included a broken leg, broken wrist, spinal fractures, punctured lung, broken ribs, multiple contusions and lacerations, bruises so deep that they may not heal, internal bleeding, possible internal organ damage, a back so flayed she didn't understand why he had any skin left, and a concussion. After a long, painful conversation with the surgeon in charge a course of action was put into place for Han; he was to remain in an induced coma for an extended period of time with the belief that the extended time would help him to heal at a faster rate. The risk factor was that he was already in a coma, and prolonging it might mean he would never wake up.

Leia shuddered at the thought and squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself not to cry.

They hadn't even immersed him in the bacta tank yet because the medical personnel said he needed to be stable for a couple of days before they could risk it, so it was all up to Han as to if he lived or if he died.

Leia took his unharmed hand in her too small ones and squeezed it, hoping that somewhere there was enough of him left to feel her presence, enough of him to respond to her love and her desperate need of him.

"Fight, damn you, fight. Don't you dare leave me now that I have you back!" She whispered fiercely, and felt the smallest glimmer, the tiniest spark from their once active force connection. To her it seemed like a firework display. "Han, I love you. Fight, Flyboy, fight!" she whispered into his ear and the tiny spark stayed steady.

It wasn't much to work with, but it had to be enough. And when he was recovered enough so she could leave his side without fear of him dying, she would seek her vengeance. She knew it wasn't her best trait, but the former bounty hunter had crossed the line by taking what she loved most away from her. She would have her revenge.

Han's hand still clasped in hers, she leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes and let her exhaustion claim her. 


	8. Chapter 8

_AN: An extra chapter this week – thanks for your reviews._

 **Chapter 8**

Two months later, Leia sat by Han's bedside holding his hand. Per Leia's order he had been moved back to the best medical facility the New Republic could offer, and that's where she moved her working office and staff despite protests from the other leaders.

Every day she spent time at his bedside, talking to him, reading to him, hoping he would wake up, and each day she ever so gently searched for her link to him through the force and found it was still there, but weak, she could feel him somewhere inside and tried to encourage him to wake up. His subconscious opened their link a little more each day and she saw glimpses of what was done to him, the horror and pain of what he was forced to endure.

Physically she knew the longer the person was unconscious the less successful his chances of regaining consciousness, but she could feel him through their link and knew he would wake eventually wake up, and when he did she would be there for him. Her damn stubborn nerfherder refused to give in, bless him, and although slow, he was fighting his way back to consciousness, and to the land of the living.

While Han was recovering, Leia instituted a manhunt the likes of which the New Republic had never seen before, and it had finally yielded results when Chewbacca and his crew tracked down Boba Fett. She made arrangements to meet with Chewie, and only Chewie who would have the former bounty hunter with him. No one else knew he had been found and until Leia decided what she wanted to do with them, that's how it would stay.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

The warehouse was abandoned and dimly lit. Leia entered through a side door and closed it with a resounding thud. Then she made her way to one of the back rooms, still large, but out of the way. When she entered, she saw Chewie, looking a bit like a cat who had too much static electricity in his fur. She had never truly seen a being so rankled by circumstances that their hair stood on end. He stood over Boba Fett who was bound by wrist and ankle restraints, on a rickety chair.

 _Princess,_ he greeted her with a nod.

"Chewie." Her demeanor was button up professional as she went to stand before the bounty hunter who regarded her with disdain.

"Ahh, the wife." Fett smirked. "How is it the last Princess of Alderaan ended up married to a reprehensible piece of garbage like Han Solo?" He leaned back and appraised the Princess up and down with a leer. "But he does have taste. I have to admit you're a fine piece of ass." He paused and gave her a cool look. "I'm guessing he must have knocked you up and being a proper Princess you felt you had to marry him."

Leia studied him, noting his disfigurement and the stiff way he sat.

"What happened to you?"

"The Sarlaac. Turns out I wasn't digestible, and I was ejected, rather forcefully I may add. So although alive, I cannot pursue my former occupation."

"What does that have to do with Han?"

"He and his wookie friend," he jerked his head towards Chewbacca, "ruined my life. They are responsible for what happened to me."

"It was Jabba's fault, not Han's."

"No, it was Solo's. He knocked me into it and nearly ended my life. He most certainly ended my career. And there is very little a former bounty hunter can do."

"Have you ever thought about honest work?"

"Do you mean to reform me like you did with Solo?" He snorted in contempt. "Not everyone is taken with your rather dubious charms. My life was my own and it was something I was very good at and that I enjoyed until Solo interfered with it. Every ounce of pain he experienced, every broken bone, dislocated joint, kick, smash, cut, burn…all of it, each moment of his excruciating pain was worth whatever price I have to pay now. I'm glad he died."

Leia advanced on him, until she was inches away from his face. "He didn't die."

"No?" Fett seemed surprised. "Well, I didn't do as good a job as I planned then. Though maybe this is better. He will never recover from his injuries, physical and mental." Fett nodded and offered Leia and the Wookie a contented smile. "Yes, this is better. Like me he will suffer for the rest of his life which is exactly what I want for him." His smile was predatory.

The Wookie roared and threw Fett hard against the wall, and he only laughed as he clutched his side.

"You can't do a damn thing for him can you? You're both helpless." He laughed in glee and Chewbacca picked him up from the bunk and shook him in the air.

"Chewie, put him down," Leia said and laid a restraining hand on the powerful Wookie's arm.

Chewbacca barked a question and Leia, but a moment later did as she asked and set Fett down on his feet. He coughed for a few moments and struggled to get his breath before he looked back at his adversaries. He grinned at them again.

"Not a damn thing you can do," he whispered.

Leia slapped him across the face and when he only laughed, she slapped him again.

He grinned lewdly at her. "Is that the best you can do, Sweetheart?" he said, intentionally mocking Han.

"I haven't even started." Leia glared at him but then allowed a coldness to settle on her, and she felt the knot in her stomach calm and then burn as she thought of all the justifiable actions she could take to make Fett suffer for what he had done to Han.

"Han Solo is one of the heroes of the New Republic and they are not happy with what you've done to him," Leia said.

"You're upset on behalf of the New Republic? Oh, that's rich." He paused. "I would think you would take this much more personally being Mrs. Han Solo. You've been damaged goods for a while now, ever since the Death Star. How does it feel to have your husband be as damaged as you?"

Chewbacca growled and hit Fett so hard that he crashed against the wall.

Fett regarded them from the floor, and wiped the blood from his mouth. "So, he's still debilitated? Good. That gives me a great deal of satisfaction," he hissed at them. Then he collected himself and sat up, giving them a cool look of disdain before finally resting his gaze on Leia. "Why should I be afraid of a little girl like you? Sweetheart, what can you do without the Wookie around?"

No one but Han was allowed to use that endearment with her, and after what they had done to him, she could feel the rage building within her. The shelves in the office suddenly began to shake as Leia clenched and unclenched her fists, anger rolling off her.

Chewie looked on with concern. He had never seen the Princess this angry before.

Things began to fly about the room as the light fixtures swayed back and forth, and as things rattled off the shelf Fett ducked, trying to stay out of the way as everything seemed to be aimed at him. Then suddenly things stilled and he heard the sound of a blaster being drawn from its holster.

"He's my husband!" she roared. "And you tried to take him from me!" She brought the blaster down on Fett's head, but instead of collapsing, he fell back against the wall. "You have the same force as Vadar? Impressive." He regarded her as blood ran down his face from the wound she had inflicted to his head. "Solo muttered your name between beatings and lashings. That and the name of his daughter…"

Without conscious thought Leia put out her hand, palm out and Fett found himself flat on his back, on the floor, unable to move. "Where is she?"

Fett shook his head.

"Where is she?" Leia hissed.

"I don't know. One of my hired hands took her…he never came back."

Fett found it was getting hard to swallow. "What are you going to do?" For the first time in their conversation Fett appeared somewhat nervous.

 _She is angry with you for hurting her mate, she will do what she wants and I will let her. If she doesn't finish you, I will._ The Wookie's eyes glowed with hatred.

"You nearly cost Han his life, you tortured him for months. I lost a child because of you!" she screamed at him.

Fett blanched, he had never had this kind of power directed at him.

She brought her blaster to Fett's forehead and he stilled immediately.

"Don't…please don't…" he stammered.

"Give me one reason I shouldn't. You have taken everything from me!"

The metal shelving in the room continued to rattle and even Chewie cast uneasy eyes between the shelving and the Princess.

 _Princess?_ He queried.

Leia's finger twitched by the trigger. She desperately wanted to end Fett's worthless life, but it would be murder. No one but Chewie would know and he would not say anything, for she knew the Wookie's loyalty to both her and Han. She looked up at him, lost for a moment.

 _If you do this, you must be able to live with this. Can you?_ He cocked an inquiring head at her.

 _Could she?_ After a long few moments, the rattling stopped, and Leia released her finger from the trigger of her blaster and stepped back. She looked at Chewbacca.

"Chewie, see that he gets to us for prosecution. I will make sure he is thrown in the deepest, darkest, cruelest prison available to us."

She and the Wookie exchanged a significant look.

 _As you wish, Princess. I will be sure to escort them after we spend some quality time together._

Understanding his intent, she nodded. "See you back at base, Chewie."

The Wookie nodded, and Leia left the warehouse, completely okay with what she had done.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Repression had become Leia's motto. Sit on her rage, sit on her feelings, show nothing, keep it all to herself so that she could stay in motion and still complete her duties.

A week after she returned to her base of operations she heard from Luke who requested a private meeting with her; she agreed and they met at a quiet but respectable out of the way bar after she had finished work for the day.

She spotted him sitting in a corner booth and he waved her over. She slid into the booth and sat across from him as she set her bag down on the booth beside her. She pulled out an electronic tablet and turned it on, placing it in front of her.

"Luke," she nodded.

"Leia," he watched as her focus went to the tablet instead of him. He watched her for a time while she ignored him. "Leia," he prompted again.

"What? Oh, Luke, I'm sorry. There's always just so much to do." She shrugged.

"We have something important to talk about," he said in a grave voice and her heart froze.

"What's left? Han's back, but still in a coma. And our daughter is dead for all I know," she said bitterly.

Luke's long silence finally caused her to look over at him. "Luke?"

"What will you do if we find Breha?" He asked, studying her face.

Leia felt him poking at the corners of her mind asking permission to connect with her and she slammed down her mental shields. "Get out of my mind," she said through gritted teeth.

"Sorry," He offered a calm apology.

"What's so damn important, Luke?"

"Leia, have you used the force to try to find Breha?"

"Of course, I have, but I find nothing. No trace of her."

"But you still sense her life force?"

"Yes," she whispered.

"I feel it too, Leia. She is alive." Luke reached across the table and took her hand. "Trust in the force."

"Trust in the force?" Leia nearly spat the phrase back at him. "Trust in the force? Really? After everything it has taken from me?"

"Leia, it's also given you things…"

"It's taken my home world, all my friends and relatives, it constantly tries to take Han and I away from each other…and Ben…" Leia stopped her words, she hadn't meant that to slip out.

"What about Ben?" Luke was intent on her words.

"Nothing, I didn't mean anything."

"Leia, it's all right, you're not telling me anything I don't know."

"What do you mean?"

"I see his dark edges too. But there's still time to save him, to keep him from the dark side."

"My little boy, my Ben. How can he have…dark edges?" She gave her brother a helpless glance.

He squeezed her hands again. "It's okay. He's young, he'll get past it. We all have a few dark edges, you, me, and Han."

"I suppose," she seemed unconvinced.

"I'll help. He can be one of the students at my jedi school. I can teach him to control the power within him."

Leia nodded. "When he's older, when you have your school going."

"Good." He paused and returned to a previous topic. "But the force has given you things, Leia."

"Like what?"

"Han, your children, me…"

She gave him a wry grin. "Not to burst your bubble, Luke, but I think Han and I managed that on our own."

"It may seem that way, but the force ebbs and flows around us. For all it takes it gives back something as well. Things happen we can't explain sometimes and often don't understand, but there is always a reason for it. No matter what it is."

"Are you talking about Breha?"

"I don't know, maybe?" Luke shrugged. "Be strong, Leia. Have faith, we will find her."

Leia looked away from him and nodded. "I'm trying."

"Use the force, focus and trust your visions. Follow them and listen to what they tell you; you will feel the truth of it here." He placed his hand over his heart.

"All I can tell you is I'll try. It's difficult to find time to meditate."

"Perhaps it will help you find Breha."

"It hasn't yet," she said bitterly. "Have you found anything on her?"

"No, but I'm still following leads."

"Let me know if you find anything promising."

"Of course." He stood up as Leia gathered her items and packed them in her carry bag. She leaned over and gave Luke a quick peck on his cheek before she turned to go.

With a feeling of great sadness, feeling the waves of unrest rolling off Leia, he watched her depart knowing she was firmly encased in her own personal armor

888888888888888888888888888

Hours later, Leia sat beside Han's bed. It was night and the lights were turned down low, the medical ward was quiet. She held his hand in her small one, and rested her head on his chest. Torn apart by too many hard decisions, she felt her tears trailing down her cheeks.

"Han, please wake up. I can't do this alone anymore."

It took her a few moments to realize that his hand was in her hair, stroking it.

"Sweetheart…don't cry…" the long unused voice croaked.

She sat up in astonishment and regarded Han, eyes open and watching her.

"Han? Oh my God!"

"Comparing me to a… diety? Must have been hurt… pretty bad…" he rasped.

"You stay there! I'll get the doctor!" She ran to the door and yelled down the corridor even though she was aware they would know he had woken up. Then she went to his bedside and touched his face, knowing tears were running down her cheeks. "I love you," she whispered in a shaky voice.

He gave her that cock sure grin of his filled with love for her. "I know."

And for the first time in over a year, Leia felt her heart warm again.

88888888888888888888888888888888

The next day after getting a good night's sleep, Leia went to collect her son from his permanent nanny whose apartment was just down the hall from the Suite she shared with Han. Susan was a worker at palace in Alderaan and Leia knew the older woman would care for Ben as if he were her own child which allow her time while trying to cope with a husband that could die at any minute, and coordinating the search for the beautiful daughter that had been taken from her.

She placed her palm against the reader on the outside of the door and was admitted into the Suite. Susan looked up from the breakfast table where eleven-year-old Ben sat and she smiled at Leia in greeting. Her son, however, just scowled as she approached the table.

"Ben? How are you?"

"Go away," he said in a determined voice.

"Ben! Why would you say that?"

"Because you'll make him go away."

"Ben? Who?"

"Snoke. He's my friend."

Leia looked around but didn't see anyone.

"His imaginary friend," Susan explained comfortably.

"You have a friend?"

"Yeah, Snoke," he pointed to the air at the side of the table.

Leia shivered as the hackles on the back of her neck stood up, but she didn't see anything, and just as suddenly as it came the feeling was gone. "You have a new friend? And Snoke is his name? How long have you known him?"

"Since before Dad got hurt and Bre was taken." He gave her a frustrated glare. "He helps me understand stuff, and he's always around. But he's not here anymore. You made him leave!" Ben was angry with her.

"How could I do that?"

"I don't know, but you did."

Leia saw he was almost done with his breakfast.

"I'm glad you're done with breakfast because that means we can spend the day together."

Ben glared at her. "I don't want to."

"Ben? Why not?" Leia tried not to be hurt by her words.

He only shook his head.

"Ben, tell me."

"You're not my Mom."

"What are you talking about? Of course I'm your Mom." Leia had gone from hurt to perplexed.

"No, you're not around. Susan is my Mom."

Leia eyes widened in surprise and alarm.

"Ben, don't talk to your Mom like that. Apologize," Susan instructed.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled.

"Can we spend the day together?"

"I guess," he refused to look at her.

"I have some good news, Ben."

"What?"

"Your Dad is awake. We can go see him. I know he wants to see you." Leia smiled at him.

"Him! Why do I want to see him? He left us a long time ago."

"Ben! He didn't leave us! He was hurt!" It took a moment for Leia to get her anger under control.

"He did too! And he lost Bre! He doesn't love any of us! You don't love me either!" He jumped out of his chair and screamed at Leia.

"Ben? I love you, your dad loves you. He always has."

"I don't believe you!" He put his hands over his ears to shut her out, and for just a moment Leia saw some red in his aura, saw a brief flicker of the anger contained within his young body.

"Come on, let's go for a walk. Then we'll go home."

"But I am home," Ben said with solemn eyes, and Leia's heart broke a little more.

8888888888888888888888888888

The medical facility was just starting to get busy at 8am, and Leia stopped by before her work day was into full gear. Her husband was on one of the medical beds, grumbling at his care giver, a pleasant looking nurse who ignored his grousing as a matter of course.

"Oh, Princess Leia, wonderful to see you. As you can see, he's awake. And the way he's complaining, I think he must be feeling better."

Han scowled at the nurse as she wandered off and then looked over to his wife, he flashed her a grin.

"Princess! Come over here and give your husband a kiss!"

Leia laughed and went over to his bedside. She looked into his hazel eyes and saw although he watched her attentively, there was a shadow behind them. She leaned over him and kissed him on the lips and felt his smile as he returned the kiss.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too," she said and they kissed some more.

After staring into each other's eyes for what seemed a long time, Leia finally stood up, but still held his hand.

"Hey, Princess, I get to get out of bed today. Maybe even sit in a chair."

"That's great news. You're on the road to recovery already." She smiled at him.

"Yeah, I got big plans."

"Like what?"

"Like going home. Like being with you and Ben. Pulling my own weight again."

"Han…" she began, not wanting to dampen his enthusiasm but feeling the pull of reality.

"Leia, it's okay. I know everything will take a while. But there are things I can do without walking you know?" He gave her a lewd look.

"Han?"

"Hey, wife, I didn't break all my parts. My moving parts still, well…move."

"Later flyboy, you have some healing to do first." She laughed at his audaciousness. Gods it was good to have him back.

"And can you bring Ben? He must have grown so much since I saw him last."

"I'll see what I can do." She couldn't help the tears in her eyes.

"Leia, what's wrong?" He stared at her in concern, and frowned, trying to touch his link with her but he found it closed. But there was something he should remember, someone he had to keep safe.

"I'm still worried about you, Nerf Herder."

"No, there's more to it than that," he scowled. "I was supposed to keep someone safe, someone important…was it you?"

'You don't remember?"

"No," Han expelled a long breath. "My memory is sketchy…it's coming back in bits…but.." he shrugged disgusted with himself. "You have a brother, right?"

"Luke? You don't remember Luke?" Her eyebrow arched in surprise.

"Well, sort of… I know he's your brother, and my friend." He seemed confused when he looked back at her. "We saved the galaxy…the death star?"

"Yes, Han. We did. You and Luke."

"Well…good." He nodded. "Then we did good." His eyes searched Leia's. "What's so important that it won't let me sleep? What kind of memory am I missing?" His imploring look was so earnest, so pleading that it almost broke Leia's resolve.

She closed her eyes for a moment to gather her strength and regarded him calmly.

"Leia, I know what you're doing. You're keeping something from me. Probably think it's better if we discuss it later," he grumbled.

"Well it is. I don't want to set your progress back."

"My progress is better if I know what the hell is going on! Tell me what's going on!"

Leia watched as the monitors still attached to Han began to beep erratically.

"Han..."

He put his hands to his head and scrunched his eyes shut in pain. "I need to remember, someone I need to help…" he mumbled as the alarms went off, getting louder.

"Han, please! You need to calm down." Leia used her best soothing voice but he only glared at her.

"No, I need to remember. I know it's important." His eyes widened as he stared at her. "Breha! Who is Breha? She's what I need to remember."

The medical personnel rushed into the room pausing to study the readings that their monitors were giving off and taking in that Han was agitated.

"Breha, Breha, Breha…." Han continued to mumble like a mantra until his eyes lit up and he stared at Leia. "Our daughter? You weren't going to tell me about her? Where is she?"

A medic gripped Han's arm preparing to give him a sedative, but with a growl, he shook the man off.

"Breha! My baby girl! Where is she?"

Leia watched in horror as his memories were flooding back to him, overwhelming him. "I lost her, it's my fault! I have to get to her!" he declared and rolled himself to the edge of his bed.

"Sir, you can't do this!" the medic insisted, once again attempting to prepare Han's arm for an injection.

"Yeah, watch me!" Han declared, and punched the man in face. Despite the fact his lower extremities were still weak, his upper body was recovering at a rapid pace.

"Han," she pleaded and placed her hand on his arm, but with a glare for her he shook it off.

"I'm going to find her! Are you with me or not?"

"Not. You are not well enough to leave here."

Han gave her a harsh, disbelieving look. "Then I'll do it myself," he growled and punched a different medic.

Finally, while his attention was distracted by an interfering medical droid, one of the human medical staff members managed to give Han the sedative, and empty the contents of the syringe before the medic found himself on the floor, again.

"No! I have to get to her!" Han wailed, and as he felt the effects of the powerful stimulant start to take effect, he sank back against his pillow. "Breha!" He looked at Leia, his eyes pleading. "Leia…we have to find her…Breha…" he murmured as his eyes shut in an unwanted sleep.

The medical personal watched with satisfaction as they tucked him into bed and his readings once again stabilized. Now quiet, they examined him thoroughly and found he had only done minor damage to himself with his tantrum.

Leia was amazed at the strength and fortitude of her husband, and a bit horrified that as injured as he was he was still planning to leave in search of their little girl, and only a powerful sedative was able to stop him. She watched sadly as he was fitted with restraints by the medical personal so that a similar incident would not happen again, then watched the medical staff tend to their own injuries caused by the frantic father who only wanted to find his little girl.


	10. Chapter 10

_AN: a chapter for Leia. Thanks for your reviews – it's always great when readers leave feedback._

 **Chapter Ten**

The medical office in the Critical ward was unremarkable, band white walls, actual books on shelves, a neat, tidy desk with various charts and papers in marked piles. It hadn't changed much in the over two months since she began having consultations with the medical staff about Han's health issues. Dr. Amanda Harris was the supervisor of the critical ward and she and Leia had several conversations about her husband's prognosis.

She waited with some impatience as she realized the doctor must be finishing her rounds, and was running late.

The doctor breezed into her office a few minutes later and with a harried look set a file down on her desk before turning to the Senator.

"Sorry, Leia. Rounds took longer than I expected tonight."

"How do you do it?" Leia shook her head as she realized the burden this woman carried on a daily basis. "How do you care for all of these people who might die at any moment?"

Amanda offered her a sad smile. "How can I not do it?"

"Do you ever take your work home with you?"

"All the time. And when I can't get it out of my head I have a drink and a good cry."

"I'm sorry for your pain, but thank you for all you do for them."

The woman shared a long moment of silent understanding with Leia.

"Well, I think we need to talk about your husband, don't we?"

"Yes, we do. Hopefully the prognosis is good?"

The doctor across the desk opened the data pad, touched a few choices on it, and after looking at the results, she sighed.

"What does that mean?"

"It means that I can't explain why Han Solo is alive. From everything I know, he should be dead. For the first time in my life I have witnessed a medical miracle, and I couldn't be happier." Dr. Harris leaned back in her chair. "Your husband, is an amazing man. To have suffered what he has and be alive is amazing . . . I've never seen someone so strong willed…."

Leia wiped at a tear that trailed down her cheek. "You don't know the half of it…"

They exchanged a small smile.

"That being said, you know the extent of his injuries, as we've talked about them before. Thanks to the new release of a more potent bacta fluid and updated technology he has made great progress towards a total physical recovery. He still has a great deal of healing to do, and there isn't much more we can do to help his internal organs complete their healing, so it's mostly a matter of time, as is the physical therapy." She looked up from Han's chart at Leia. "Mind you, he still has a long road ahead of him, but at the moment I am guardedly optimistic."

Leia expelled a sigh of relief.

"He will need a lot, and I do mean a lot of support." She paused and with a grim smile she pushed forward. "I know how busy your schedule is, how much you have to do. Forgive me, Senator, but I have to be brutally honest with you, please understand I only have his best interests at heart." She expelled a breath. "We are friends of a sort now, so this is difficult to say. I don't know how you will have enough time to give him the help he needs given your position and that you also have a son to raise."

Leia blinked back the tears and gathered herself together. "Why would you think I wouldn't help him?"

"Leia, I know it's not because you don't want to, but there's only so much of you to go around." She paused and gently cleared her throat. "There are other options. You can place him in a medical facility until he is strong enough to go home."

"No! He just got out of a prison of sorts. Why would I put him back in one?"

"A medical rehabilitation facility is hardly a prison…"

"But to him it will seem like one." Leia's mouth was set in a grim line. "No, it can't be done."

Dr. Harris sighed. "Are you sure you understand the intense care he will need once he is released? Now you can offset that a bit by hiring a full-time nurse and part time physical therapist, but…"

"You said, given enough time you think he will recover physically?"

"For the most part, yes. He won't be able to do some things, or at least not as well as before, but overall I think he will do well given enough time." She paused. "But there are other problems."

"What problems?" The doctor gave her a knowing look and Leia sighed. "I know. You said he'd probably have some mental and emotional issues."

"It's common for people that have suffered extreme abuse such as Han has. He is suffering from PTSD but he hasn't been conscious long enough for us to know if it is moderate or severe. He is suffering from memory loss, we don't know the extent of that yet. He is displaying anger issues, and possibly violence issues…"

"Han's not a violent man…"

"He was a general in the war, and I hear a smuggler in his former life? I'm guessing that may have been a bit…unsavory?"

"His past life has nothing to do with this," Leia dismissed the notion.

"I'm only trying to point out he has done violence in the past. It may have been necessary at the time, but it's a tendency that does exist within him. And his…torture may have damaged him more than we know."

"What do you suggest?"

"He needs to be mentally evaluated so that we can determine the best course of treatment for him."

"He won't let you treat him."

"Leia, he needs more help than you can give him." She studied Leia, her eyes filled with compassion. "I am certain this part of things will be better if you can help us with him. He loves you and respects you, and I suspect he may only listen to you."

Leia let her gaze fall to the floor.

"He's a good man, he's lucky to have you."

"He's been tortured before and survived, did you know that?"

Amanda nodded slowly. "Yes, it's in his medical records. As I said, it's obvious he's very strong willed. That can be a benefit but also a detriment. If he determines to work with us he will get better faster and it will be a benefit. If he uses the same will to fight the treatments it will be a detriment."

"I know." She paused. "Are the restraints really necessary?"

"For a couple of days until we see how he is behaving. At this point we expect his behavior to be hostile given what we saw tonight."

"But he was remembering…"

"Remembering what?"

"Breha," Leia whispered.

"Who's Breha?'

She didn't bother to hide the tears running down her cheeks and the doctor looked at her in concern before offering her some tissues.

"She's our…little girl. She was taken when Han was. They kept him but let her go, but we have no idea where she is…or what's happened to her…"

"Well, that helps to explain the ferocity of his actions. I'm so sorry, Leia. I had no idea you had lost your daughter as well."

"He's a grieving father, he'll do whatever he can to go and find Breha now, even if it physically harms him."

"Then what do you want to do?"

Leia sighed, her expression melancholy. "Can I have a night to think about all this?"

"Of course. He'll be out until mid-morning anyway. We don't want to keep sedating him because he needs to do some healing on his own, and some therapy while he is conscious. We will sedate him for his next session on the bacta tank, however."

"He hates that," Leia frowned.

"Don't we all?" the Doctor grimaced, stretched, and stood up. "I need to go and finish my rounds. You can stay here as long as you need to. And if you have any questions be sure to call me, you have my number."

With a last look of compassion for the trauma Leia was going through, the doctor left her office and closed the door behind her.

Leia sighed, knowing she had a lot to think about.

888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

Once Leia got home a short time later, she automatically went to the bedroom, and changed into some comfortable clothes. She chose one of Han's old shirts that she had taken as hers a long time ago, wearing it made her feel closer to him.

It had been a long day both at work and at the hospital, so she had called Susan and asked her to take Ben home and put him to bed. Both were asleep in their rooms now and appeared they would sleep through the night, which was a good thing because she had a lot to process.

She let herself out through the glass doors onto the balcony, and put her mug of kaf down on a small table and wandered over to the railing's edge to take in the spectacular view of the city before her. They were up over fifty stories and owned the opulent floor as their living quarters. Han always teased her about finally finding some 'Princess digs' more suited to her position but strangely enough, the place she often seemed happiest was on Han's battered ship. Somewhere along the way, the Falcon had become her home.

The Falcon was gone now, and with it a piece of Han. She wasn't sure how he could be whole again with both his daughter and his ship missing from his life.

She cringed when she thought about the pain he endured, it was a miracle he was alive, and she was eternally thankful for that. There were times she thanked the stars he was such a damnable, stubborn Corellian, and this was one of those times, because without his strength of will, and without that stubbornness she doubted he would be here now. And Leia didn't want to consider a world without Han in it, no matter their disagreements, she loved him more than anything.

Han's prognosis had improved, seemingly getting better each day that went by, but he still had many serious obstacles to overcome, both physical and mental. The physical she was sure he could overcome, he had before in his life and although not easy it was something he could accomplish.

The mental and emotional were much harder to diagnose and deal with, especially for a man like Han. He was a passionate, emotional man who kept his vulnerabilities hidden behind a façade of bravado, even now after being together for such a long time she could see it happen before her eyes. Not while they were together as a family, but in the company of strangers, people he didn't know, he tended to become the cocky, arrogant man she once believed him to be. Instead she found a smuggler with a heart of gold, once whose decency and trust were worth more than any amount of credits she could imagine. Everyone that spent any amount of time around Han Solo learned who he really was despite his attempts to hide it, his decency was too well established within himself for him to ignore it for long.

 _Yes, Han was a good man. Her good man. What was the best way to help him? To keep him safe? To heal him?_

The answer was glaringly simple. Find Breha and bring her home. Han loved his family, all of them, but there was no doubt he and Breha had a special bond that Leia couldn't explain. It didn't bother Leia in the least, because truth be told, she had a similar bond with Ben. But somehow her birth evened out the family and got them all in stride. Even Ben's bursts of anger had lessened, and he seemed to find comfort in the presence of his sister.

 _Where was Breha? Was she all right?_

Leia went over to one of the lounge chairs and stretched out on it. Lying back she put her arm over her eyes willing herself to think more clearly.

Leia calmed herself, reaching a meditative state so she more easily had access the force. Perhaps Luke was right, perhaps she could gain some knowledge, some insight into things to come depending on the path that was chosen.

She concentrated and found herself in a place of calm and she opened herself up to the peace and serenity as it began to flow through her. Her first thoughts were of Han and just a general questing for what would happen to him from this point and into the future.

Images began to flow through her mind, images from their past that she found comforting.

Their fights on Hoth that were actually a prelude to the passion that lie buried within them; their first time together was such a sweet memory for her, he was her one and only and she didn't regret that for a minute. She saw their sweet, but simple wedding on Endor and felt his love for her positively oozing out of him as he looked at her with adoring eyes.

Then the flow of the force changed and she saw images that she was unfamiliar with, images of her family that she didn't understand.

She saw family fights, Han and Ben having a terrible fight with her in the middle and resentment rolling off Ben when Han decided to believe her; she felt the absence of their daughter tearing them apart and the three of them growing distant with each other. The image of him as an older man was shocking but comforting at the same time as it showed her they would live a long life together; as she was admiring his handsome, distinguished looks, he just faded away.

 _Han?_

 _I'm here._

 _I can't see you…_

 _Faith, Sweetheart, have faith…_

And then he was gone.

Somewhat puzzled by the strange vision, Leia changed her focus and concentrated on Breha. This was murkier but still she pushed on through the shadows, focusing on bringing her home. She saw tears, laughter, and joy at her homecoming, and the normal process of a girl growing up in a loving family, but then a dark turn while as a teen her light in the force goes out, she is found assaulted and murdered. Han blames himself for not protecting her and his behavior lapses into heavy drinking, Ben hates them both and in his anger, he reaches for the dark…

Leia opened her eyes, her calm rattled by her vision. Taking a few deep breaths, she collected herself and tried again, this time her focus was on leaving Breha safe and away from her family. Again, the images were vague, a harsh life on some barren planet with no family to love her and raise her; but her light burned bright and didn't go out.

Leia breathed a sigh of relief and continued to her next subject, Ben.

She tried to follow from the path he was on now, to see what his future might be, but it was as if she were somehow being blocked. All she could get were images of him with darkness leaking around his edges and when he looked at her his eyes were red.

 _You made the wrong choice, mother, you didn't give me what I needed…_

 _Ben! What do you mean?_

He only offered her a sad smile and turned away from her. It was then that she saw the red lightsaber he held in his hand…

Shaking, Leia pulled herself out of her force trance, and tried to calm her breathing which was far too rapid.

 _But what was the correct course?_ So many treacherous obstacles loomed up around her.

 _What did her visions mean? Han was consistently in the future, it seemed to mean he would recover from this ordeal and somehow, they would be together._

 _Breha?_ There were two very different scenarios. And while the one of her surviving unloved by a family, hidden away from them was unpleasant, the other vision was horrifying. Somehow Breha was blessed with a light that radiated from within her and it was much too important to let go out, Leia felt that with every pore of her being. The feeling from the force was strong within her that this was the right course of action for their daughter, painful as it may be for all of them, but she also felt somewhere in the future, at the proper time, they would all be together again.

 _How would Han deal with this if they never found her? If they stopped looking for her?_ She knew he would continue his search for Breha, and she suspected even if she shared her force visions with him it wouldn't make any difference, nor would any request from Luke. _And maybe he would grow to hate them because they were keeping him from his daughter?_

Leia groaned and rubbed her temple, she had a definite headache coming on and it felt like it would be a phenomenal one.

She knew she alone could go into Han's mind as he had long ago given her permission to do so, and she suspected by now even if he put up obstacles she could work her way around them. He was not weak willed by any sense of the imagination and had a surprisingly strong set of barriers for someone not skilled in the use of the force, but he dropped them for her and let her in.

 _She couldn't make him forget about Breha, nor did she want to, but perhaps she could she modify his memories to help subdue his pain? Modify his sorrow and guilt so it would allow him to live a life without the constant search for Breha? If he ever found out he'd be madder than hell and maybe unforgiving? But given the alternative wouldn't this be easier on Han if this was the best course of action to be followed for Breha?_

 _And Ben, her Ben, her baby boy._ They had been aware of his mental health issues for some time now and were doing their best to deal with his problems. He had been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and that coupled with his strong force abilities were creating confusion and misunderstandings in the brooding, dark boy. They argued with him over taking his medications and due to his refusal and then his occasional tantrums, he had had a few hospital stays in the mental health unit. It broke Leia's heart and made Ben angry and resentful towards them but so far it seemed to have helped their son.

 _What was the best choice for Ben? It seemed sending him to Luke was what needed to be done. Luke knew the ways of the force and would be sure to guide him through the obstacles, but Han was of the firm belief that he was better staying with the psychologist he trusted._

And even with all of that, she couldn't forget about her work and the importance of it. Many of the negotiations could be turned over to others but there were some delicate matters she had to attend to as she had laid the groundwork and was a trusted Senator. If she backed out now, some new members of the New Republic involved in delicate negotiations would be highly insulted.

She sighed and took another sip of her kaffe and stared at the city lights.

 _Her immediate concern was to get Han to stand down, but how?_ She understood the depth of her husband's iron will and determination when he something mattered to him. And his family mattered to him more than anything.

 _So, what to tell Han, and Ben?_

She planned to try some force healing on Han when they were alone again and not likely to be disturbed, it always worked best when he was asleep. She had helped to heal him before, when he had suffered from hibernation sickness. Everyone thought his issues were only physical but that wasn't true at all, and only he and Leia knew the truth of it. He refused to go to a psychologist except for the initial session when he still hardly knew who he was, after that he refused and no one, not even Leia could make him. So, one night when he was restlessly tossing and turning she inserted herself into his dream, and discovered she could soothe him. They experimented a little and she found she did indeed possess healing ability through the force, and because of his implicit trust of her, he was accepting of her, and slowly he began to mentally and emotionally heal.

Soon, she planned to get into Han's head and investigate. Find out how much and what kind of damage had been done to him. It would be brutally unpleasant and she wasn't sure she wanted to see the images he was currently hiding from her, but without it she wasn't sure if he would get better.

 _That was the easy decision._

Her mind circled back to Breha. _What if she told Han the truth?_ Maybe she could enhance this belief after she told Han about her visions, try to convince him Breha was safer where she was, and subdue his inclination to tirelessly search for her.

It tore at her to even think of such things. She had never used the force to change someone's memories, subdue their desires, especially not someone she loved as much as she loved Han. But she didn't know what else to do to make things better, for once in her life she was at a loss as to how to resolve the problems that lie in front of her.

She got up and set her cup aside in the kitchen, and instead went to the bathroom where she could take some medication for the monster headache now pounding within her head.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

When Han woke up at noon the next day, his head felt like it was wrapped in packing material, and his mouth tasted like sand, neither thing made him happy. He opened an eye and squinted at the light, and immediately shut it, trying to control the pain that the brightness caused. He thought he heard his name, but that could be a hallucination too.

 _Where was he?_ He couldn't remember, but he wasn't being tortured now and that was good. He opened an eye again and felt a cool, soothing hand stroking his brow.

"Leia," he breathed, enjoying the illusion. " I've missed you so much."

"Han, I'm here." She gripped his hand more tightly, and waited for him to focus on her. When he did, he seemed confused.

"Leia? How can you be here? Isn't this some spice induced illusion?"

"No, Han. I'm here." She realized how fragile he was, but knew she couldn't tell him that because it would make him even more afraid of talking to her.

He blinked, and tried to reach out his hand to her but was met with resistance. He looked down and saw he was in restraints. His mood immediately turned to rage as he struggled against them.

"Fett! You low down, slimy bastard! Why don't you fight me like a man instead of taking the coward's way out?" he yelled, straining against his binding.

Leia was impressed by his strength despite his disabilities.

"Han," she said, trying to project calm to him but he didn't take notice. She knew the medics would be in here soon and probably sedate him again if he didn't calm down. "Han!"

He ignored her and struggled against his bonds, cutting the skin around his wrists in the process.

"Han!" she screamed at him both physically and with the use of the force.

He winced, but paused in his thrashing.

She poked at him again through their bond, through the crack he had left open when he had put up his shields many months ago. She tried to project her love for him, force it through the crack in his emotions so that he understood how much she still loved him.

"Leia?" He blinked, and regarded her. "Is it really you?"

"Yes, you stupid Nerf Herder," she worked to keep her voice steady.

"Tell me somethin' only you would know," he said, still suspicious.

"How about the fact I was a virgin when you first made love to me on the Falcon?"

"Hmm, half of the base could have guessed that, what else you got?" He had visibly relaxed though and a smile touched his lips.

"I asked you to hide under my desk, my very large desk at the Alderaanian Embassy, in order to avoid an unpleasant confrontation with unexpected news reporter. I didn't want to give them any more fuel for gossip. But you managed to almost sabotage that idea…"

"Couldn't help it, Sweetheart, I hadn't eaten lunch yet and I was…hungry." His eyes lit up and a smirk appeared on his face.

"There are other things you are supposed to eat for lunch…"

"Yeah, but I was proud of you. Lots of squirming, but you didn't give yourself away. You have a great Sabaac face you know?" He grinned at her and Leia smiled back.

Han frowned as he pulled against the restraints and gave her a questioning look.

"You don't remember?"

He shook his head.

"You were rather violent, last night. You punched out two medics before they sedated you."

"I did?" He shook his head. "Huh."

"It's okay. You're going to have memory lapses from time to time."

"For how long?

"I don't know, and the doctors don't know. You will have to take it one day at a time."

He laid back in bed and seemed to think about that for a while before he spoke. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For being so messed up. It's bad, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"It's wrong. I'm supposed to take care of you, take care of my family…" he frowned and ground his teeth together as if struggling to remember something. "Ben's okay?"

Leia nodded, heart pounding as she wondered what was about to happen.

Han closed his eyes, a sudden sharp pain erupting in his temples as he slammed his head back against the pillow in his bed, unable to stop the images from thundering through his mind.

The thoughts and images came at him too fast, too unfiltered. He saw images of he and Leia, Luke, Chewie, his life before joining the rebellion, bits of his life with Leia, a bright and shining young woman powerful in the force, a dark brooding man, both seemed familiar to him but he couldn't place them…and torture, endless agony and torture, Darth Vadar, the heat scan grid, carbonite, Fett… pain…

He put his hands to his eyes and shut them tightly, groaning.

"Han?" Leia didn't understand what was happening to him, so when she laid her hand on his arm she peeked into the crack of their bond and the amount of information he was receiving was enough to overload a sane mind, let alone one without force defenses.

Leia gently inserted herself into his mind and carefully put up a barrier, dulling the images and pain connected to what he was seeing, focused on relieving his pain.

With a grateful whimper, he mentally clung to her as his lifeline. She soothed his fears and banished his mental anguish, plenty of time to deal with that on another day. She felt him calm and breathed a sigh of relief as he slipped back into sleep, perhaps not the most restful, but at least one free of sedation.

She looked up as the medics hustled into the room and she realized it had only been a couple of minutes since he started to have the bad reactions. They regarded her with some suspicion but seemed satisfied after checking his readings and realizing he had fallen into a more natural sleep. They left her alone, and she held his large hand between the two of hers once again, and pushed a stray lock of hair away from his forehead.

"Han, you need to pull out of this, you know I can't go on without you, don't you? Fight you stubborn Corellian, fight! Come back to us…"

Han twitched restlessly in his sleep, and Leia quietly reached into his mind to soothe him once again.

For tonight it was enough to be with him, to hold his hand, to know he was back in her realm once again. There was a long torturous road ahead of him, but she would stand by him every step of the way just as he had always stood by her and her trials. And for tonight, she couldn't take Breha away from him, tonight she could only make sure he had a sound sleep and chase away the monsters that loomed at the edge of his consciousness.

8888888888888888888888888888888888

A month later, with her assistance, Han walked into their home. Leia had a welcome home party planned for him the next day, which he might hate, but she didn't care as there were many people happy about his recovery that wanted to express their concern and love to him.

But for today, he just needed to be home with her and Ben and to settle in once again. Susan would bring Ben by later and uncharacteristically Han was nervous about seeing his son again. She couldn't really blame him since it had been well over half a year since he had seen Ben.

They entered the Suite, and she felt Han sigh, it sounded as if all the air had gone out of a balloon, but when she looked at him, he finally seemed relaxed, and very tired.

"Han?"

"It's nothing, your Worship. Just a little tired."

"You shouldn't have been released this early."

"Leia, there's nothing wrong with me."

"I beg to differ. You're nowhere near full strength, you still have bouts of excruciating pain…"

"It's getting' better! I don't hurt all of the time!"

"You can't really walk without assistance."

"I can too!" He declared and he stepped away from her, giving her a look of indignation he wobbled on weak legs to the couch; and carefully sat down.

"Han, you should have stayed another week or two, you would recover faster." She studied him with concerned eyes.

"I couldn't, Leia." He looked up at her and his eyes were sad. "Don't you get it?"

She shrugged, indicating that no, she really didn't know.

"I will recover better at home with you and Ben around me instead of medical personnel and those damn droids hovering around me all of the time."

Her eyes softened as she regarded him.

"Tell me you wouldn't do the same thing?" He watched as a small smile touched her face and she finally nodded. "I just want to be home, Leia. It seems like forever since I've been here."

"Okay, Hotshot, I get it. But you do understand you were released under the condition that I employ a full-time nurse and a part time physical therapist. And you still need to go back and check in with the doctor when required."

He nodded and held up his hands, and grimaced. "I get it. I want to get stronger and back to normal too. I'll do my part," he grumbled.

"There's more, you know."

"Don't say it."

"I have to. You need to see a psychologist. You were released under those conditions as well."

Han regarded the floor with interest and remained silent. "How messed up am I?" He finally raised his face to look at Leia, and she saw the sadness and felt the fear within him that he was no longer quite 'right'.

"You're no worse off than when I lost Alderaan, or after my escape from the first Death Star."

Han swallowed, he remembered all too well the toll those things had taken on Leia, how hard she struggled to recover from that, the nightmares, sleepless nights, and hours of comfort she had found in the solace of his arms. It hadn't been pretty but he had been there for her. Now she carried those mental scars with her but she had learned to live with them, to overcome them and continue with her life. And when she couldn't cope, he had still been there for her.

"What are you saying?" He studied her with desperate eyes.

She sighed and went over to him, and sat down beside him on the couch. She moved over so that their thighs were touching, and placed her hand on his thigh. When he didn't look at her, she put her fingers under his chin, and turned his face towards hers until his gaze met hers.

"What I am saying, Han Solo, is that I love you unconditionally and I will do whatever I have to in order to help you."

"Leia, you don't have to…I can do this on my own…"

"Can you?" she raised a skeptical eyebrow. "I couldn't. I couldn't have come through my trials and tribulations without your help, without your support, without your love." She paused and took his hand and put it between the two of hers. "I thought I was strong enough on my own, but I was wrong. I needed you to help me." She smiled and felt a tear escape her eyes. "I wouldn't be here today, be sane without all that you have done for me. I wouldn't be here if you hadn't loved me the way you do."

"Ahh, Princess…" Han was at a loss for words as he brushed away the tears trailing down Leia's face. "Happy to help," he managed to say at last.

"Let me help you, Han. I can you know. I want to."

"Yes, Princess…" His eyes were downcast and he spoke softly. "I want to be everything…for you and Ben…but I'm afraid…I'm no longer…who you fell in love with…"

"Han." She paused, her gentle hands stroking his cheeks where tears were starting to ease out of his eyes. "I'm here. Let me help."

"Gods, Leia! I feel so broken…" he whispered and collapsed in her arms, burying his face against her chest as he held her tightly against him.

"Shh, it will be all right," she soothed as she felt him finally release his pain, knowing that he was finding solace in her embrace.

88888888888888888888888888888888888888

The next morning there was a soft chiming at the door. Han had settled in to the softness of the sofa and was watching his favorite smash ball team as they thrashed their opponent. Leia had disappeared into the bedroom some time ago and hadn't come out yet.

The door chimed again, sounding almost impatient.+

"Leia!" Han called out to her, but didn't see or hear any sign of her.

With a deep sigh he hoisted himself to his feet and waited a moment so that he could steady himself, then he reached for his nearby cane and put it firmly in his hand as he had found it helped to support his right side, the leg that had been so badly broken. Though healing, the muscles were still weak.

The door chimed again.

"I'm comin'!" Han yelled to the door and slowly made his way over.

He undid the locks and opened the door, and gaped in astonishment. His son stood before him with both a scowl and an uncertain expression on his face, his nanny behind him. It seemed he had grown a foot since Han had seen him last.

"Ben!" Han wobbled forward and pulled his son to him in as big of a hug as he could manage.

"Dad! Stop! Please." Ben mumbled against Han's chest and pushed back against Han to free himself.

Han released him and hung onto his cane to steady himself. Both Ben and Susan regarded him with wariness.

"Are you all right, Mr. Solo?" Susan asked.

"I am now!" He cheerfully ruffled Ben's hair and only got a scowl in return.

"Ben, aren't you happy to see your Dad?" Susan nudged him towards Han.

Ben stopped and studied his father with an appraising eye and shrugged. "Yeah, I guess." He stepped past Han into the apartment. "Where's Mom?"

"Back in the bedroom." Han inclined his head. "She should be out soon."

"Okay," Ben turned and placed himself on the couch, seemingly content to watch the smashball game.

Han turned to Susan. "Thanks for watching him."

"No problem. I'm always happy to help out you and Leia." She paused, her face a mask of concern. "Are you all right, Mr. Solo?"

"Yeah, I'm doing okay. Thanks for asking."

"All right, I'll be on my way. Remember, call me if you need me."

Han nodded and closed the door behind her. Then he once again made his way over to the couch, carefully lowering himself down to sit beside Ben. They watched the game in silence for a few minutes until Ben spoke.

"Dad, what's wrong with you?" He turned and studied his father, a wrinkle creasing his brow.

Han chuckled, but it wasn't a happy sound. "Do you know what happened to me?"

"Some. I don't think Mom told me everything."

"That's because your Mom's smart. I don't think you need to know all of the details."

"Why not? I'm old enough. I'm not a little kid anymore."

"I know. You've grown while I was away."

Ben shrugged. "Not a big deal."

Leia walked in from the hallway, a smile spreading across her face at seeing her two men sitting on the couch together.

"Ben!" she held out her arms to her son and he got off the couch to give her a quick hug. "When did you get back?"

"A little while ago. Dad and me were watching smashball."

"You answered the door?" She gave Han a disapproving look.

"Yeah, I did. You were busy, and the door needed to be answered."

"But Han…"

"Leia, don't. I have to learn to do this stuff again or I'll never be able to do it."

"But…"

"Let me."

Reluctantly she nodded.

Ben frowned as he watched the interplay between his parents, and turned to his father again. "You still haven't told me what's wrong with you."

"Leia, what have you told Ben?"

"That the bounty hunter Boba Fett had taken you and Breha, and that he hurt you and sent Breha away." Leia said in a carefully neutral voice.

"How bad were you hurt?" Ben asked.

"Pretty bad, son." Han rubbed his cheek. "I had some broken bones, especially this leg, which is why I walk with a cane for now. My head got banged around pretty good and I had a concussion which didn't let me wake up for a long time. And there was some other stuff," Han refrained from going into detail about his internal injuries and other unpleasant things he didn't feel his son needed to know.

"Which is why I spent so much time at the med center with your father."

Ben nodded solemnly. "That sounds really bad. But you're doing better?"

Han nodded. "Yeah, Ben. I'm doing better. It may take a while to get up to full speed, but I'm doing better."

"Good." They stared at each other for a moment, and Ben fidgeted.

"Something else, Ben?"

"Yeah." He glared at his father. "Where's Breha? She left with you and Mom said she got sent away. But where is she?"

Han swallowed, suddenly unable to speak.

"We don't know where she is, Ben. We're looking for her," Leia said gently.

"You lost her, didn't you?" Ben gaped at Han, his expression incredulous.

"I didn't mean to," Han's hackles were coming up despite the fact he was talking to his young son.

"How could you lose her? She's littler than me!" Ben shrieked at him.

"I didn't mean to! They took her from me!" Han stood up, towering over Ben.

"You were supposed to keep her safe!"

The two males stared at each other for long moments, Han rubbing his hand over his face repeatedly in agitation, and Ben's face red from yelling.

"Ben, you shouldn't be yelling at your father. It wasn't his fault."

"But he let it happen!" Ben glared at his father and turned and stomped off to his room.

The silence in the room was deafening and heartbreaking at the same time.

Han who stood frozen, rooted to the spot he was standing in as if he was unable to move from it. He eyes were closed tightly and was muttering Breha's name over and over again as if saying it often enough would bring her back.

Cautiously, she walked over to him and touched his arm, but he shook her off, and stared at her with horrified eyes.

"Han, it's not your fault…"

"Then whose fault is it?" he whispered in a tortured voice.

"Ben's a child, he doesn't understand everything that happened…"

"To me? Maybe not. But he does understand I lost Breha…that I had a responsibility and I failed her…my little girl…" his voice broke with the weight of his emotion.

She curled her hand around his bicep and gave it a little squeeze.

"No," he shook off her hand again, and gathering his resolve gripped his cane and walked away from her, escaping to the balcony.

He needed some time alone, so she settled in a wing chair with a data pad where she could keep an eye on him through the glass doors, and very lightly feel him through their force bond. He needed to grieve and have some time to put himself back together. It was a drill she knew only too well.

8888888888888888888888888888888888888

 _AN: Reviews are treasured! Thanks for reading._


	12. Chapter 12

_AN: thanks for your reviews; you guys are great!_

 **Chapter Twelve**

Hours later, Han realized he was cold and automatically got up from his chair on the balcony and with a grimace for his sore leg, went inside. Leia had obviously tried waiting up for him as she was sprawled in a rather undignified manner across the couch, data pad on the floor. He reached for the soft throw on the back of the couch and gently put it over her, and he allowed himself a sad smile.

In all of the awful, wretched things that had happened in his life, she was his one shining light. He knew he didn't deserve her, that he had never deserved her, but he also couldn't imagine his life without her. He touched her cheek with great tenderness, softly so as not to wake her.

"I'm sorry I failed you..sorry I failed all of you…" he whispered.

He limped to the bedroom with his cane, and entered it, quietly shutting the door behind him. He prepared for bed, unwilling to admit his normal bed time routine was difficult for him to complete, and he was glad that Leia wasn't there to see his weakness. Cleaned up and stripped down to his boxers he climbed into bed with a huge sigh of relief. Though he tried to hide it, he hurt. A lot. Everything part of him hurt. His broken leg and broken vertebrae in his back ached with every waking moment he had, his internal injuries healed slowly and there were days he thought his internal organs and been put in a blender and then dumped back in him in no particular order, leaving him with a gut ache that he didn't know how to fix. His breathing still wasn't right due to the collapsed lung, but part of the lung weakness was probably a remnant from the carbon freeze he had experienced earlier in life. Some of his fingers had been broken, he had scars from the electrocutions, from the cuttings, from the lashings he had received. And that didn't begin to include the torments of his mind.

He knew he had some form of PTSD, hell, he probably had it when he was rescued from Jabba's, but at the time he dealt with it and moved on with his life. The only one that knew how much he was affected was Leia, his beautiful Princess. She had helped him then and he had no doubt she would help him now if he asked, but he had failed in every way he could as a parent and he hated himself for it. He knew Leia's search had been exhaustive and that he couldn't have done any better himself, but he hadn't even had a chance to try to find her, to make it up to Bre.

He knew he should sleep because he was beyond exhausted for his not yet healed body, but how could he? He looked over at the nightstand and saw his painkillers. Knowing he couldn't fall asleep without them, he dumped some in his hand. Two was the prescribed dosage but he knew he was somewhat resistant to them, so maybe six would put him into a dreamless sleep, and as a bonus subdue his persistent pain.

With a grimace he reached for the glass of water and swallowed the pills, two at a time, and then gingerly stretched out beneath the covers. Sleep began to overtake him more quickly than he thought, and shivering just a little he escaped into unconsciousness…

888888888888888888888888888888888888

…and found himself in a dream, or what he thought was a dream. When he tried to move, he found he couldn't, only watch helplessly as visions swam before his eyes.

Leia. He saw Leia just after she gave birth to Ben. Holding Ben to his chest and he was so deliriously happy that he couldn't contain himself. Teaching Ben, showing him the Falcon. Time spent as a family, a vacation together, laughter and happiness.

The memories washed over him and for a short while he reveled in the feeling.

Leia's surprise announcement she was pregnant again, and their mutual joy in their new daughter. Her birth and the instant connection he felt with the child, how she followed him around, much more interested in Daddy's things than her brother Ben. The way she shone with such a bright light that even Han had to admit he believed in the force, it shone from her in ways he had never seen before.

Then the horrors began; he saw Fett sending his daughter away; Fett gloating as his tortured body broke over and over again. He saw Breha lost crying out for her Daddy; lost, not knowing where she belonged, and his heart broke for her.

Unfamiliar images began to flood his mind.

Ben, a teenager angry and belligerent; fights with Ben; Ben staring at him in disbelief as he sides with Leia. Breha, gone but out there somewhere, her light still burning bright. Grief for her fading, replaced with concern for Ben. Endless fights with Leia until Ben is sent off to Luke. A sense of peace between himself and Leia, calmness.

The words echoing in his head.

" _Save him Han, he is your son, save him…"_

" _Save who? From what?"_

" _He is your son, you must love him."_

" _Leia, I do love him."_

" _Then why did you turn away from him? He is still good."_

" _What are you talking about? I love Ben. Of course, he's good."_

" _The future, Han, the future is always in motion."_

" _I'll save him."_

" _Do you promise? He needs your help."_

" _Leia, I promise, I'll do anything for him."_

" _You may have to…"_

With that ominous warning dream Leia faded away as if she had never been there and he was left in darkness.

Startled, he flinched as the darkness was pierced by a bright red light and he found himself teetering on a catwalk high above a dark abyss. With horror, he realized the red light was coming from a light saber protruding from his chest. He looked at the dark brooding man in front of him and wondered why he felt so familiar.

" _What have I done to you?" Han whispered._

" _You lost her, she was my reason to remain in the light."_

" _Who?" Han blinked in confusion, wondering why he wasn't in more pain? Right, this was a dream._

" _The forgotten child."_

" _Breha? Why would I forget about her? Wait, you're Ben?"_

 _The man sneered at him and twisted the lightsaber to make sure it inflicted more pain. Han reached out to him, Ben sneered and pushed him away._

" _I'm done with you, old man. I've finally removed you from my mind. Now I can be what I need to be, I can belong to the dark."_

" _I won't let you."_

" _How can you stop me?" He stood confident in his evil._

" _Like this," Han said, and concentrated, pouring all his love for his errant child into their broken bond._

 _Ben gasped but couldn't change what was happening. The last thing Han saw was the lightsaber changing to blue…_

88888888888888888888888888888888

"No! No! No!" Han thrashed wildly on the bed as Leia burst through the door into their room. She had fallen asleep on the couch only to find a cover over her and knew that Han had gone to bed but not before looking after her. She was clearing the cobwebs from her head when she heard him crying out in his sleep.

"Han?" She called to him but he somehow remained asleep, thrashing in an unnatural manner. It didn't take her but a few seconds to realize he was having some sort of seizure. She grabbed the commlink and yelled into it for the nurse who was asleep in another room in the suite, and she all but threw herself on top of Han, trying to restrain his arms and legs, trying to pin him to the bed.

"Save him…save him…too late…Leia, sorry…so sorry…."

The nurse flew into the room and took in the scene before her.

"He's seizing," Leia yelled trying for all she was worth to keep her much stronger husband still beneath her.

"Give me a few seconds," the nurse yelled, opening her med kit and quickly searching for a vial of liquid.

"Hurry!" Leia yelled and turned to watch the nurse.

Her attention wavered for just a moment and Han moved unexpectedly under her, his fist connected with her face and sent her sprawling to the floor. The injury didn't register with her as she was more concerned with getting Han under control so he didn't hurt himself. She threw herself at him again, trying to pin him down so the nurse could give him the calming injection.

"No! No, Ben! Not you! No…."

She shouldn't have been surprised to see her young son standing in the doorway, shocked at the scene before her.

"Mom?"

Against her better judgement, Leia paused to look at Ben, and Han's elbow connected with her jaw, causing her to cry out in pain, and then swear in Corellian.

"Mom!" Ben was horrified at seeing his mother struck, even if his father was having a medical episode.

"It's okay, Ben, but he needs to be restrained. We're trying to do that…" Leia turned back to once again tackle her writhing husband, but stopped when she saw Han had suddenly stilled as if frozen in place. He was still having spasms but his thrashing had stopped.

"Hold him, and I'll give him the shot," the nurse murmured in a grim tone.

Leia nodded, and placed her hands on Han's chest, trying to hold him still as he was given the shot. He gave a short cry of pain as the shot was administered and then calmed as his muscles began to relax and his twitching stopped.

Relieved, she looked over to see how Ben was doing and saw him staring at Han as if he was in a trance, concentrating on him for all he was worth. As the shot began to take effect, Ben drew his hand back in to his side and let it fall. Then he dropped to the floor on his knees and looked up at his mom.

"Is he all right now?"

Leia nodded. "The nurse is checking on him but so far so good."

Ben sighed. "Good."

"Are you all right?" Leia was curious as Ben hadn't shown his force abilities very often.

"Tired."

"Let's get you back to bed. Your dad is stable now and he should sleep the rest of the night."

She led Ben back to his room and tucked him in under the covers, she rested her hand on his forehead to see if he had suffered any harm or if he had a fever, but other than being tired, he seemed fine.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, Mom, I'm fine."

"Thank you for your help. Nurse Rohin and I were having trouble restraining your Dad cause he's so much stronger than us."

"Your face?" Ben indicated the bruising on his Mom's face.

"What?"

He reached out and touched the cut on her lip and she flinched.

"Oh, that. It's nothing."

"It hurts, doesn't it?"

"A little bit but it will be all right." She placed her hand on Ben's cheek and smiled at him.

"I can help, Mom," Ben said and reached out and put his hands over the spot on Leia's cheeks where the bruising was starting to form. Staring into her eyes she felt him reach to her with the force and felt healing vibrations from the fingertips that lie against her skin. She remained quiet and let him do what he could because she wanted to see what his capabilities were.

A short time later, Ben dropped his fingers from her cheek and let out a large sigh. He collapsed back against the bed and stared at his mother through sleepy eyes.

"Tired, Mom."

"It's okay. Go to sleep. We can talk in the morning."

Eyes already closed, he nodded, and she watched as he slipped into the bonds of slumber. On her way out she stopped and regarded her reflection in the mirror and was amazed to see the heavy bruises were already fading. Her cheek was still sore to the touch, but it was already healing rapidly.

She had no idea Ben had a healing ability in the force, but it was a good discovery, a positive way for him to use the force, perhaps one that could be cultivated for his future.

She left Ben's room with one last kiss for his forehead and left to sit by Han's bedside for the rest of the night.

8888888888888888888888888888888888

Early the next morning Ben tumbled out of bed anxious to see how his parents were doing. Things weren't right and he was just starting to understand how badly his father had been hurt, and the consequences of his wounds, both physical and mental. Han had always seemed as if he was made out of steel so this was a revelation for Ben. He hadn't really occurred to him that his father would have trouble recovering from his injuries, and to find out that he wasn't invulnerable was somewhat of a shock for the young boy, one that he wasn't quite sure how to handle.

He tiptoed into his parent's room, worried that they still might be asleep, and sure enough they were. His father was laid out on the bed, snoring quietly. His mother sat in a chair beside the bed, Han's hand still in hers, slumped against the chair back. She suddenly opened her eyes and blinked, surprised to see Ben in front of her.

"Hi," she said.

"Hi." He shifted nervously. "Mom, can we talk?"

"Of course. What do you want to talk about?"

"Not here," his eyes shifted to the form on his father on the bed.

"Ahh, okay." She led Ben into the hallway and called the nurse on the intercom. The voice on the other end assured Leia that she would be there immediately and that Leia should feel free to leave Han's room. Leia answered with her assent and guided Ben into a quiet den where they could talk. She sat down on a couch together.

"Do you want some hot chocolate? Juice?"

"No, not yet."

Leia ran a hand through her hair, still trying to wake up. "What did you want to talk about?"

Ben shrugged. "Lots of stuff."

"Okay, then pick one and we'll start there."

"Dad."

"What about him?"

"How bad is he hurt? Be honest."

Leia weighed her thoughts before replying. He was almost eleven now and extremely intelligent for his age, but he was still a kid. That's why she had resisted telling him the complete truth. She studied him for a long time until he began to fidget under her gaze.

"Please, Mom. I need to know."

"Why?" She shifted and watched him. "I not questioning that you want to know, but it's a lot to take in for someone your age. The truth about what happened is awful, no one should have to go through what your father went through."

"I'm big enough, I can understand."

"But you shouldn't have to," Leia gave him a sad look and dropped a kiss on his brow. "I don't want you to grow up too fast."

"Isn't it better for me to understand what can happen to us than for me not to know?"

Slowly, Leia nodded. He did have a point. "All right, maybe this will be easier if you ask me questions?"

"Yeah, okay." Ben bit his lip and looked at Leia. "Dad seemed really bad last night, is he okay now?"

"Well, he's past his problem of last night, but no, he's not okay yet."

"Will he be okay?"

"The doctors think it will take a while but he will recover. He will always have some aches and pains."

"Didn't the bacta help him?"

"It helped a great deal, it probably saved his life, but it didn't completely heal him. The rest of it will mostly take time."

Ben nodded and was quiet for a while.

"What's wrong with him?"

"I told you he was taken by a bad man. The man's name was Boba Fett. He hurt your father."

"Why?"

"Your father had a hard life before I met him. He didn't have a loving family like you do, and he was left to fend for himself at a very young age so he learned to live on the streets."

"He didn't have a home? No parents?"

"Well, he must have had parents but he has no idea who they are or what happened to them. He was on his own by the time he was six. He often had to steal food just to have enough to eat."

"He stole things?" Ben's brow wrinkled in despair. "But that's wrong, isn't it?"

"Yes, Ben, it is. But when you are starving you do things you wouldn't do otherwise."

Ben swallowed. "So Dad was poor."

"Yes, he was. Do you think any less of him?"

"No. He couldn't help it."

"As he grew up he did some other questionable things to survive. He owed a bad creature, a Hutt, a lot of money."

"Who is Boba Fett?" Ben asked her.

"Because Jabba the Hutt was so mad at your Dad, he put a price on his head. That means if someone brought him back to Jabba, the bounty hunter would get those credits. Boba Fett is a bounty hunter."

"But Dad isn't worth credits any more, is he?"

Leia smiled in amusement knowing she would pay for him. "That depends on who you ask, but Jabba is dead and there isn't any price on his head."

Ben frowned. "Then why did he come after Dad?"

"Because he got hurt and for some reason blamed your Dad. It was revenge."

"Revenge?"

Leia shook off a shiver of apprehension. "Revenge is a bad thing, Ben. It's when a person feels something bad has been done to them and to even things out they feel the need to punish the person that they think did it."

"So Boba Fett blamed Dad for what happened to him?"

"Yeah, he took out his anger on your father."

"And Bre," Ben said mournfully.

Leia's face clouded over as she thought about her missing daughter. "Yes, and Breha. But it seems he didn't hurt her, only sent her away, so that's something."

They both stared at the floor in silence.

"I want to help," Ben said.

"You can, Ben, just by encouraging your Dad, by helping him as he gets better. He's going to need both of us."

Ben nodded, but gave his mother a questioning gaze.

"Ben, what?"

"I still want to help."

"I'm not sure what you mean."

"Show me how to heal him. The force."

"Force healing?"

"I've seen you do it, Mom. I know you can help him." His eyes searched his mother's face and his eyes pleaded with her. "You know I can learn it, because I can already do it a little bit."

"It's a big step. Luke's the teacher."

"But he doesn't heal other people."

"It's true he has difficulty with it, it's easier for me to do that. But I'm not a teacher of the force."

"But you can show me this? I can help, Mom, I know I can."

She studied him and gently opened her mind to him and found him to be open and accepting of her, so she felt for his mind and could feel his genuine interest in learning this ability.

"All right, I can show you, but physically healing only."

"There's more?"

"Yes, there can be." Leia frowned, she hadn't meant to tell Ben about the mental and emotional healing she could help Han do. "But that's between your Dad and me."

"Why?"

"Because it's personal, and we're in love with each other."

"Do you have to be in love to help with that?" Ben was confused.

Leia laughed. "Not exactly, but that's how it works for us."

"So it's special?"

"Very. The force had bonded us, made us stronger together than apart."

"Why can't I do that with Dad?"

"I don't think he wants you in his mind. He has some things he'd like to keep to himself and that's fair." She gave Ben a stern look. "Ben, you must never try to go in someone's mind without their permission. It's wrong."

"Okay, I won't."

"Your Dad wouldn't like it."

"But I could help more…"

"No, and that's final." She waited for Ben to meet her gaze. "We're agreed?"

Ben shifted and took a couple of moments before he nodded. "Okay, he said sullenly.

Leia studied her son for a few moments and leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead, he tried not to but he smiled as she kissed him again.

"Do you want to learn now?"

"Could I?"

"Yeah. It will be good if we can teach you to help your dad."

"Will it make him happy?"

"He'd be excited to have you help him."

Ben's face fell as he remembered what he had said to his father. "But I said a bad thing, I told him that he lost Bre."

"If you're sorry, you'll have to tell him that you didn't mean it. He'll understand, he feels worse about it than you can imagine."

"Will we find her, Mom?"

"We'll do everything we can, Ben. We all want her back," Leia ruffled his hair as they both got up and walked down the hallway to Han's room. "But for now let's concentrate on your dad."


	13. Chapter 13

_**AN**_ _: I am happy to say that the follow up story to this Unfinished Business – an AU TFA fix it fiction is now completed and ready to go. This will allow me to post a couple of chapters of this story every week so that we can get to the follow – up fiction (which was written first). This story is good, but the follow up is better (and goes places I haven't seen any other fix-it fiction go!) Lol Just sayin'…_

 _Reviews have commented that this is a sad story, and it is. My apologies for that but going from the end of ROTJ to TFA is just not a happy road. I have given this my best effort to try to put in motion things that could explain why Han and Leia are separated; why Ben turned dark; why Breha/Rey isn't with them. This lead up story is the result._

 _As always, so many thanks for reading this, and I can't tell you how much I appreciate your reviews._

 **Chapter Thirteen**

When they walked into the Master bedroom they saw that Han was awake, leaning back against the headboard, alert but pale. He smiled as they came into the room.

"Hey Dad," Ben said and went over to his side.

"Hi kid, how're doing?"

"Better than you."

Han laughed. "That's an understatement. You look good."

Ben nodded, and shifted uncomfortably. "Something wrong?"

"Well…no, I mean yeah, I mean…"

Han gave Leia a confused look.

"Ben has something he wants to say to you, don't you Ben?"

The boy nodded and regarded the floor for a moment.

"Go on," Han urged.

"I'm sorry," he blurted.

Han furrowed his brow in puzzlement. "For what?"

"For the bad things, I said to you last night, for the things I said about Bre."

Han nodded and Leia saw the hurt in his eyes but he masked it quickly and looked back to Ben. "Coming from you, son, that means a lot. Thanks."

"You're welcome. So, you're not mad at me?"

"No, not at all."

Ben studied the floor again. "And I'm sorry for what happened to you last night."

"That has nothing to do with you. It's because I'm still…sick. Apparently more than I thought," he frowned and looked at Leia who was giving him an 'I told you so' kind of look. "But I'm feeling better now."

"That's good, Dad, really good."

"Ben? We need to ask Dad if he's okay with what you want to do," Leia prompted.

"Oh yeah." Ben scrunched up his face and regarded his father for just a moment before he could get the words out. "I want to help you Dad."

"Well, great." Han smiled at his son.

"There's more, Han."

"Oh?" He watched Ben waiting for him to speak.

"I don't want to help with normal stuff…"

"Stuff like helping me reach something? Like helping me walk around the apartment?"

"Yeah, I'll help, but I can help you in other ways, can't I, Mom?"

Leia nodded. "Han, I can help to heal you with the force. Ben can too. It's something constructive to do with his abilities and if two of us helping you, you will heal faster."

"Huh," Han grunted and his brows furrowed together as he regarded the two of them. In the background, Leia nodded, encouraging him. "I might consider it."

"You will?" Ben was excited, he was hardly ever allowed to freely use his force abilities.

"Yes, but for physical healing only, and only under your Mom's supervision."

"Okay, yes!" He nodded barely suppressing his excitement. "Mom, when can we start?"

"Han?" Leia smiled at her husband as they both noted Ben's excitement and good mood.

"Want to take a shot at it now? I can probably use a little help after last night."

"That'd be great!" Ben turned to Leia. "Mom, can we?"

"Yes, but first we have to bring some chairs next to your Dad and be calm. I can't show you this unless you are calm, and peaceful." Leia shot Han a look. "You too."

Han gestured to himself, an innocent expression on his face.

"I have to be quiet?" Ben was perplexed as it hadn't occurred to him.

Han and Leia laughed and Leia and Ben sat in the chairs next to Han's bed. Han relaxed and closed his eyes as Leia began to instruct Ben in the art of force healing. He trusted Leia implicitly and knew she would teach Ben well, so he closed his eyes to rest them and slipped into a light sleep.

It was later in the day and the apartment was quiet. Han was doing better and had lapsed into a normal sleep after the force healing from Leia and Ben. The hired nurse was out running errands, and Leia opted to take nap as she hadn't slept much the night before. She left Ben to check on Han and to wake her up if anything changed.

Ben wandered about his home, restless, not wanting to do any of his usual things he liked. He didn't want to read, he didn't want to play, what he wanted to do was to talk to his mother more about the force and what he could do with it but she was sleeping now. His mother had taught him how to do some basic healing of Han's outer wounds, given him a way to enhance his natural ability, and he discovered that being able to touch someone and restore some of their energy and vitality made him feel good about himself.

But he wanted to do more for his Dad now that he understood just how hurt he was, he wanted to help him in every way and that meant mentally as well as physically. Ben had no experience with mental healing, the kind where you could reach into another person's mind, see what they see, feel what they feel and use the force to separate the bad from the good. He was more than a little curious to see how this worked, to tap into another person's mind and see what was there.

He couldn't get into his mother's mind unless she wanted him to, he already knew that. They would sometimes communicate through the force, but if she shut him out, it was tough to get through.

He stopped outside of his parent's bedroom, peered in through the door which was open just a crack and saw his father was still resting peacefully. The temptation was strong. His father didn't have the force so it would be difficult for him to notice the presence of a force user in his mind, especially when he was asleep and his defenses were down.

He knew he shouldn't even consider such a thing, but he couldn't help himself. The suites were quiet, everyone else was either away or asleep so now seemed like a perfect opportunity to experiment.

Cautiously, he eased himself into the bedroom, quietly shutting the door behind him. Then he walked across the room to where his father slept, his face calm now in sleep. His mother had instructed him to remain calm when he used the force to heal, to be at peace with himself. Maybe he would better be able to do that if he thought of his Dad by his given name, Han Solo, and if he tried to be neutral about him and regard him as a stranger.

 _It seemed like a good plan_ , Ben thought, as he quietly watched his father sleep.

There was so much he wanted to know about his father, so much he didn't know about his past. His parents had told him they had enemies but except for an occasional incident, nothing of this magnitude had happened before to either his mother or father. His Dad always worried about them when they weren't nearby and now Ben understood why. Some bad people wanted to hurt them which was why Breha was gone and why his Dad had been tortured. He wanted to why Boba Fett hated his father. It occurred to him the best person to find this out from was Boba Fett but he was being held in a jail pending a trial, but Ben knew his parents wouldn't let him talk to the bounty hunter. Which meant the only person he could learn this information from what his father, or more specifically his father's mind.

He pulled up a chair and sat next to his Dad, making sure he was still sound asleep, and since he was, Ben reached out a hand and let it rest on Han's temple.

"Let me in, Dad. I won't hurt you."

Han muttered something unintelligible in his sleep but then stilled again.

Ben expelled a pent-up breath.

"Think of him as Han Solo. Be neutral and you can see him in a different light," Ben told himself and gently sat on the bed beside his father. Then he reached out and took his father's hand in his own. "Concentrate, Ben. Concentrate and find Han Solo…

He almost broke contact as he suddenly felt the power of his father's mind. He held tight and mentally stayed in place until he had calmed down and felt at peace again. And with one timid step, and then another timid step he went closer to the light that seemed to get brighter and brighter.

He didn't know what he was expecting exactly, but this certainly wasn't it. He didn't know what to do, he felt like he was standing at the mouth of a river and could feel the many different currents around him but was uncertain as to where they would lead him, or which one he should take.

He concentrated and thought about what he wanted to know most since he knew he couldn't stay long, and decided he wanted to find out what happened, what Boba Fett could have gained by hurting Han Solo. He slowly began to walk in the direction where his thoughts guided him, and stopped a short time later, his jaw dropping as shock as a scene played out before him.

888888888888888888888888888888888

 _His father, Han Solo, shirtless with his arms stretched over his head in a manner designed to cause him pain, hung from archaic chains, his body covered with bloody lacerations. From the groans, he was uttering it was obvious he had been grievously hurt. A man stood behind him with a long-coiled whip in his hand, stroking it fondly as he regarded his target._

" _Solo, are you enjoying this?" the man asked. He was about the same height as Solo with greying hair and a scar across his cheek, his eyes appeared to be a dark grey, and he leaned heavily on a cane._

" _Go to hell, Fett!" Solo found the strength to yell at the man as he twisted around to look at him. "I'll never give you what you want."_

" _What I want is to torture you, so you are giving me exactly what I want."_

" _You'll never break me."_

" _I beg to differ. I've already relieved you of your most precious commodity when I took your daughter away from you."_

" _Breha," Solo breathed under his breath, as he swallowed his pain and refused to let Fett see it._

" _Still you persist. Must I take everything away from you for you to break? If that is what it takes, I will do it, I will take your son next…"_

 _Ben mentally gasped, this man would have kidnapped him too…_

" _And your wife, the Princess." Fett shook his head. "I'll never understand what she sees in you, what she ever saw in you. You're a worthless piece of Bantha shit and a criminal to boot."_

 _Han remained silent._

 _He was going to take Mom?_

" _What do you think she would do with a real man?" Fett asked and stroked his chin. "Think I could make her scream in pleasure?"_

 _Han knew he was being baited but couldn't fight it, he was pissed. "If you touch either of them Fett, I'll kill you myself!"_

 _The wave of hatred and anger that rolled off his father stunned him, and nearly knocked him off his feet. He stared at Han in shock, he had no idea his father was capable of this. Sure, he'd get angry from time to time and lose his temper, but it was nothing like this intense hatred towards the man that held him. But there was something else, something that Ben had to dig deeper for, and that was the bad emotions were motivated by the deep love Han had for his family, the need to protect them from all bad things, the need to sacrifice himself before letting them come to harm. So, beneath the rage and hatred, there was a heart full of love for his family._

 _Ben was fascinated by such a strong mixture of emotions and riveted to the scene before him._

" _You'll do no such thing, you have no power." Fett laughed at him as Han twisted helplessly trying to escape his chains._

 _Still laughing, Fett uncoiled the whip and gave it a couple of practice snaps, then with an easy swing, he lifted his arm and in a smooth motion brought the whip across Han's back._

 _Han gritted his teeth but didn't utter a sound._

 _Ben felt tears in his eyes as he witnessed the torture this horrible man was inflicting on his father._

 _It seemed Boba Fett had found a rhythm as he lashed Han repeatedly, opening more wounds on his back with each blow._

 _Suddenly and unexpectedly, Han opened his eyes twisted around and looked directly at Ben. The boy stumbled back, more than a little spooked at this unexpected turn of events. Han was supposed to be reliving a memory, a memory that Ben wasn't involved in. How could he see him?_

" _Ben," he rasped, "go! Don't watch this!"_

 _Their eyes met for just a moment and he saw the protectiveness in his father's eyes and knew he couldn't watch this neutrally._

" _Dad," he gasped. "I can stop this."_

" _You can't stop what already happened," he panted, "but …. you don't need…to see more…"_

" _Dad!" Tears were running down Ben's cheeks as he reached for his father and for just a few moments clutched his father around his waist._

 _Ben felt an unmistakable surge of power catapult through him, sending him to the ground. He stared at Han in wonder._

" _Go!" He jerked his head to a space behind Ben and the boy suddenly felt his mother nearby._

 _He turned to his mother who held out her hand, and tears streaming down his face he followed her out of the all-encompassing pain his father's mind had become._

8888888888888888888888888

Leia took Ben's hand, and led him out of the master bedroom to the couch and sat next to him, she wrapped her arms around her son and he clutched her tightly as he buried his face against her and sobbed as if his heart was breaking. She held him to her, rocking him until his sobs began to subside. Finally, still sniffling, he pulled his head back and looked at her.

"You shouldn't have done that, Ben," Leia admonished in a soft tone. "Your father deserves to keep some things private."

"I wanted to know…to understand…"

"And now you know more than anyone your age should. Besides his torture, what else did you see?"

"Nothing. That's the only place I went…" he shut his eyes trying to squeeze out the last of his tears. "How could someone do that?"

"There's a lot of bad people in the world, Ben. Unfortunately, Han has managed to anger a lot of them," she said with a faint smile.

"Why is that even funny?"

"Your father can be a bit of an …annoyance," Leia smiled when she said this.

"It doesn't mean he should be tortured, or killed!"

"Oh, Ben!" Leia took him close again and they sat quietly for a while.

"Will he be all right?"

"Yeah, given time. He's survived a lot so I'm sure he'll survive this too."

"But how?" Ben honestly didn't understand how his father could come back from such pain.

"He's resilient, maybe it's because of his childhood when his choice was either survive or die. He chose to survive. Which is a good thing otherwise I wouldn't have met him and you wouldn't be here with us now."

"How could Boba Fett do that to him? Wouldn't it have been better just to kill him?"

Leia seemed disturbed at Ben's train of thought, but realized there was a bit of sense to it. "Maybe. It just depends on what the bad guy is after."

"I could never torture him like that, not after what I just saw."

Leia frowned, a force feeling nudged at her, obscured her feelings for just a few moments and she regarded Ben with strange look. "Hopefully that doesn't mean you ever thought about torturing your father?"

"Only when he punishes me," Ben grumbled but gave her just the hint of a teasing smile before his expression grew somber. "Mom, he's in pain! How can he stand it?"

"I know, honey, I know. He will work through it and be back to us before you know it."

"He's strong, Mom." He paused for a long time before he spoke again. "I think he has it, Mom."

"Has what?"

"The force. You and Uncle Luke always say he doesn't, but I think he does."

Leia sighed. "You are far too smart for your own good, young man."

"Your Uncle Luke and I have tried to figure it out as well, but we're not sure. You see the force flows through everyone and everything, but with people it varies. In some, like your uncle Luke, myself, and you…"

"And Bre…" Ben said sadly.

"Yes, Bre too." Leia tried to ignore the pang of sadness she felt and continue talking to Ben. "It's very strong. There are other people that have it but don't know they have it, the force works through them rather than with them. We think it's like that for your Dad."

"Huh," he said, sounding very much like Han. "He can't really use the force?"

"No, not really, but he is exceptionally lucky." She shrugged. "It could be part of how the force works through him." Leia chewed her lip for a moment. "And resilient, maybe that too."

"Maybe." Ben chewed his lip and appeared worried.

"What else?" she ruffled her son's hair.

"I did something…"

"Ben?"

"He surprised me. I was watching memories, right?"

"Yes…"

"Why did he tell me to leave? I wasn't there." He gave his mother a curious look.

"He broke out of a memory and told you to leave?" Leia frowned.

Ben nodded. "Yeah, that's when I grabbed him and held onto him, but it was like everything exploded and I was on the ground! Then you found me and took me away." Ben watched her with anxious eyes.

Leia pondered Ben's words and wondered what had happened to Ben when he was in Han's mind. "How did you feel when you grabbed onto your father?"

"It felt like electricity! It was really strong!"

"Ahh, I think I know what happened. It's something you didn't mean to do, and shouldn't have done, but you touched the essence that is your father. We all have an inner core, a soul. The pain he was in has reduced his ability to shield things from others, and you got through his shields and touched his…soul as it were."

Ben's eyes widened in dismay. "I didn't mean to, Mom! I'm sorry! Will he be mad at me?"

Leia laughed and pulled him in tight and gave him a big hug. "What that means my little one is you now carry a sliver of his soul within you and he now has a bit of you within him." She gazed into her son's dark eyes. "It's not a bad thing, just uncomfortable for most people."

"Is it like that for you and Dad?"

"Gods, yes. We've been…bonded for years." She looked at Ben with a stern expression. "But Ben, you need to know this is a gift your father has shared with you, even though he doesn't know it yet. And you much treat this exchange with the respect it deserves. He loves you deeply and he didn't want you to see his pain, to feel it."

"He's like Breha."

Leia was confused and shrugged. "What do you mean?"

"His soul is bright like Breha's. Mine is more like yours, it has some really dark edges." He paused. "Is that okay, Mom?"

"Yes, my love, it is. Just because we have dark edges it doesn't mean we have to be dark. There's darkness and lightness in all of us." She tousled his hair. "I learned a good deal of that from your father."

"Oh, okay." He nodded and was quiet again for a bit. "Mom, can I tell you something else?"

"Anything."

"I still hear him," he whispered.

"Who? Your father?" Leia turned her head towards the bedroom, but Ben laid a hand on her arm so that she would look back to him.

"No, Mom. Snoke. I hear Snoke."

"Snoke? Wasn't he your imaginary friend?" Leia searched her memory and came up with that name from Ben's childhood. She didn't know he still believed in his imaginary friend, she thought he had outgrown him.

"He's not imaginary. He's real."

"What does he tell you?"

"Bad things. Thing to make me do stuff. But also, things that make me feel good."

"What kind of things?" Leia frowned, she was picking up a bad feeling from this.

"He tells me I'm strong, and I'm powerful."

"Well, you are…"

"No, Mom, you don't get it! In the force. He always wants me to use the force, he says it's part of me."

"Umm, okay. That part is kind of true though."

"Yeah, I guess."

"Honey, if you don't like him, don't listen to him."

"I don't know how to turn him off…" Ben said in a small voice. "And he listens to me when I'm upset."

"What do you tell him when you're upset?" Leia asked cautiously. She knew Ben had exhibited some occasional anger issues, and she did feel the dark edges to him, but completely believed that with Luke's help and training in the future Ben would be just fine. But something was not right about Ben's imaginary friend Snoke.

"Everything. Usually I'm mad at you…or Dad. Or worried about something."

"Like what?"

"Like when Bre came…I thought maybe you'd love her more." Ben squirmed uncomfortably.

"What did Snoke say to you?"

Ben swallowed and nodded. "Yes, you and Dad would love Bre more…and you'd forget about me."

"You know that's not true, don't you?"

Ben nodded. "I do now, but for a little while…"

"Was that when you starting having tantrums?" Leia had a sudden insight into some of Ben's behavior.

"Yeah, kind of. But I was just a little kid then. I understand better now."

"Do you?" Leia's gaze was so intent Ben looked away from her and fidgeted. "Ben, does he make you question things? Make you wonder about your Dad and I?'

"Sometimes…sometimes he says bad things about you…"

"Ben, you need to listen to me. This Snoke is a bad friend."

Ben frowned, unhappy with what his mother was saying.

"You need to ignore him, and above all don't believe anything he says to you."

"But he likes me, Mom. He's my friend!"

"Ben, please. Listen to me. If Snoke's real…"

"He's real." Ben's mouth was set in a stubborn line.

"Don't talk to him."

"Why?"

"He's not good for you. He's telling you things that aren't true."

Ben crossed his arms in front of him, sullen. "Can I go now?"

"All right. You need to talk to your Dad later."

"Why?" Ben glared at her.

"To tell him what you've done. He asked you not."

"Fine."

Leia nodded and Ben stomped off to his room. She stared after him concern marring her pretty features.

8888888888888888888888888

The second wine glass was nearly empty, and Leia contemplated whether she should have another or not. It was soothing and even a few moments of peace were something to be treasured.

She was troubled for so many reasons. Han was still not well, but at least he was with them so she was hopeful he would recover. Their beautiful daughter was still missing despite the many operatives that were checking for her.

And Ben, her Ben, had issues that seemed to be escalating. She didn't know what to think of his new friend, Snoke. _Until tonight she had believed him to be an imaginary friend of Ben's but was he? Snoke sounded dangerous, like he was somehow trying to persuade Ben to listen to him. But to what purpose? Who was he? What was he? And why did the thought of him worry her?_

Shaking her head, she put those thought away from her for now and finished her last sip of wine. Then she stood up and pulling herself together went to their bedroom to see her husband.

888888888888888888888888888888

By the time, she got to the bedroom, Han was sitting up and the nurse was regarding him with a stern expression.

"General Solo, you need to get up and walk but you must refrain from doing too much."

"Then how in the hell am I ever going to get better?" Han snapped at his nurse.

"Under supervised instruction," she said in a somber voice. "The physical therapist will be here later this morning and you need to follow the orders if you're going to get better."

"Look, Lady, I like to do things my way cause it's the way that works for me!" Han put his hand on his chest in a dramatic fashion. He saw Leia standing in the doorway and folded his arms triumphantly. "Go ahead, tell her, Leia."

Leia remained silent, her expression neutral.

"Leia?" Han scowled at his wife.

"You know what I think, Han, sometimes you have to follow the rules."

Han set his mouth in a grim line. "Fine. I'll see the therapist."

"Otherwise we will put you back in the med center," the nurse continued, ignoring Han's bluster. I have dealt with patients as bad or worse than you. You do not scare me in the least."

Han's scowl grew deeper and Leia laughed.

"It's about time someone put you in your place."

"You're no help."

"Of course I am, you just don't want to recognize I am helping you, that we both are."

Reluctantly, Han nodded.

"He'll see the therapist," Leia told the nurse.

"Good. He needs to keep on track if he wants to heal."

"Thank you for understanding. I'm sure you're ready to leave for the day. You will be back, won't you?"

The nurse nodded and laughed. "Yes, I will. It will take more than him to scare me off."

"You have experience with difficult patients?"

"Oh, yes. And I will make sure he gets better." She nodded and turned and left the room.

Han was still scowling but he did look at her. "I thought you were on my side."

"I am. And I want you back as good as you can be, but that won't happen unless you listen to us, you stupid Bantha Brain."

"Bantha Brain?" Han couldn't help himself, he smirked at her, and her heart flipped, just a little. "That's the best you can do?"

"I've been a little busy."

"Yeah, I suppose you have. C'mere, Sweetheart." He patted a spot on the bed beside himself, and after a brief hesitation she sat beside him. He dropped an arm around her and nuzzle her neck, happy just to breathe in the scent of her. "Gods, I've missed you."

"Oh, Han, you have no idea." She got off the bed and gently settled herself on his lap. "Is this all right?"

Han's grin could have broken his face if he smiled any wider. "It's better than all right," he said as she let her guard down and nestled her head under his chin, content to rest and just be in his arms again.

Han sighed and wrapped his arms around her more tightly, reveling in how right it felt to have her there.

They stayed like that for several long minutes before Leia finally stirred, and gazed his beautiful hazel eyes, she saw they were full of love for her but guarded as well. She laid a gentle hand on his cheek and leaned forward to give him an almost chaste kiss on his lips; tender, but filled with love and promise for a later time.

"Later," Han said in a low, gravelly voice. "Once I'm back on my feet again. I have a lot of time to make up for."

"I'll hold you to that, Hotshot." She stroked his cheek, her eyes filled with love for him. "I missed you too."

They kissed again, opened their mouths and shared a more proper kiss as husband and wife, though not as passionate as they could be, it was mutually satisfying. They touched each other's faces with searching fingertips.

Han stopped suddenly and gave Leia a searching glance. "What's this?" he asked lightly fingering the fading bruise, and noticing the almost healed split lip. "Leia?"

"It's nothing. Forget it."

That was Leia speak for 'something happened and I don't want to talk about it', so he frowned at her.

"Tell me, Leia."

She remained silent.

"I need to know. What happened? And don't tell me you fell or ran into something." His eyes searched her face until she finally met his eyes.

"It's really nothing, Han. Let it go, please."

Han shook his head and took her hands in his. "What are you hiding from me?"

She just shook her head and gave him a look that implored him to drop the subject.

"How did that happen?" His anger was beginning to rise as he realized someone had hit Leia, that someone had hurt her. "Who hit you?"

Leia shook her head and turned away, "it's not important."

"Tell me. No one can treat you like that, not ever."

"Han, please, it's not important. No one abused me, it was an accident."

"You mean someone fist accidently connected with your face?" His sarcasm was biting.

She met his gaze squarely with a determined one of her own. "Yes, that's exactly what happened."

"Leia! Come on! Who hit you?"

She only compressed her lips tighter as she stared at him.

Han's stomach suddenly began to churn and he had glimpses of his thrashing uncontrolled in this bedroom, his fists hitting something. He looked at Leia in horror.

"Me? Oh, Gods! Leia?" His fingertips gently ran over his face, searching the bruises, and though she did her best, she did wince when he pushed on a sore spot.

"Damnit, Leia! What in the hell did I do to you?"

"It was nothing. I told you. You were having a seizure and I was trying to hold you down, my fault for being so clumsy. I sometimes forget how strong you really are."

"But I hit you…" He buried his head in his hands unable to look at her face and the damage he had done to it.

"Han, please, don't do this to yourself. I'm fine." Cautiously, she reached a hand out and touched his shoulder. When he didn't shake it off she slid closer to him and pulled his hands away from his face and she got a glimpse of the pain he was carrying within him, and it broke her heart. Without warning, he suddenly wrapped his arms around her and hung on to her as if he were a drowning. She felt him begin to shake, and holding him tight ran her fingers through his hair and murmured soothing sounds, hoping to ease the suffering of his soul.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

Two weeks later Han had made great improvements with his physical wellbeing and waited patiently while the physical therapist checked him over. After a few taps on the data pad the man looked back at Han and nodded.

"Well?" Han asked.

"Between your earlier bacta baths and the accelerated muscle therapy, you have progressed at an unheard-of rate of healing." He stopped and gave Han a deadpan look. "What's your secret?" Han shrugged and watched Leia who entered the room.

"You are free of home visits but to fully recover you need to continue ongoing treatment as an outpatient, and your treatment will be of a more manual nature."

"You mean a lot of challenging work to tone up my muscles." Han smiled. "I can do that."

"If you stick to the program I think except for a few minor discrepancies you will be back to your normal level of physical fitness."

"So, I'm off house arrest?"

"Yes, you're free to come and go as you please."

Han let out a loud whoop of joy. "I'm free!"

Leia grinned at the joy in Han's yelp, and he pulled her into his arms until she squeaked and managed to wiggle away.

"Han!"

"I'm released, I can go in on my own now. No more electronic stimulation." His grin was infectious.

"He's doing that well?" Leia asked the therapist.

"Yes, it's remarkable really. I've never seen anyone heal quite so well. If you have a secret you should bottle it." He stood up and nodded at the two. "If you don't have any more questions I'll be on my way."

Leia saw the doctor to the door and turned to face her exuberant husband. "You're not completely healed, you know."

"Aww, Sweetheart, don't ruin the moment. I'm good enough to go out on my own again. I think that's a cause for celebration, don't you?" He grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms, and suddenly stopped, just staring at her. Then, slowly, he leaned down and brushed his lips across hers, and as she responded, he parted her lips and deepened the kiss.

Leia melted into his arms, feelings rushing through her that she hadn't felt in almost a year. She could imagine nothing better than going to bed with her husband, right there in the middle of the day, with Ben down the hall. She didn't care. But after a long heartfelt kiss, she realized it was full of love, but not passion. He released her and gently ran his fingertips along her lips and without another word, he stepped away from her.

"Han?"

He shook his head. "Later, Leia. Just not now."

She nodded realizing he probably still needed some space. He gave her a smile that was more of a grimace and turned and walked away.

888888888888888888888888888888

Later that evening after Ben was tucked into bed and Leia had emerged from the fresher, she eyed the bed thoughtfully. In deference to Han's fragile physical condition she had refrained from sleeping with him since he had come home and had been sleeping in a nearby bedroom, but now he was on the mend and doing remarkably well she wondered if they could start sleeping together again.

Though she wanted sex with her husband to be part of the equation, she was content for now to sleep in next to him. He was already in bed, clad in only his boxers and tucked under the covers. His sleeping patterns indicated he had just fallen into a light sleep, no doubt from the medicines he was still taking. She smiled at him as he murmured in his sleep and simply couldn't argue with herself anymore, so she quietly turned out the light on the bed stand, and slipped under the covers next to Han. Somehow, even unconscious, he knew she was there as his hand reached for hers and held it against him. She rolled over so that her head was resting on his chest in her once familiar spot and sighed.

This is where she belonged and where she needed to be, next to him, hearing the beat of his heart, and the warmth from both his body and his mind. Basking in his closeness, she closed her eyes and for the first time in months, relaxed.

888888888888888888888888888888888

When Han woke up he felt warm, and comfortable, like he had finally gotten a good night's sleep free of nightmares. As he came closer to consciousness he realized another body was draped across his and he smiled, listening to a breathing pattern he knew as well as his own, that of his beautiful wife.

He stared at the ring on Leia's hand, it was a ring he had given to her many years ago when he was young and in love and thought the world was theirs. He never could have imagined things would go so wrong.

The crippling guilt of his failure weighed on him in a way that nothing ever had and he concentrated on calming himself and controlling his breathing so as not to wake Leia.

 _What was Leia thinking these days?_ They had not really spoken of anything since his return home, only on getting him to concentrate on his recovery, but in the background, was always Breha, their beloved daughter he had lost, the little girl that meant the world to him. He could only see one solution, and that was to get physically fit as quickly as possible, and go searching for her. He knew Leia was doing her best, he didn't doubt it for a second, and he knew she had a wealth of important contacts, but he had contacts too. Contact she had no access to considering their unsavory nature, contacts he had sworn off when he had stopped smuggling. Things were different now though and it tore at him every day to know his little girl had been left to fend for herself in some god forsaken place. He wouldn't let that go on. He couldn't.

He would do whatever it took, unsavory or not, even if it took the rest of his life to find her. He wasn't sure Leia would understand his rationale but no matter what it cost him, he had to find Breha and hope that someday both Leia and Breha would forgive whatever actions he would take in the future.

For now, he gratefully regarded the lovely face of his wife, his princess, relaxed in sleep. She was the center of his universe and would always be no matter what may come between them. He gently pulled her more tightly too him, and closed his eyes. There would be time enough for personal recriminations later, all he wanted to do now was ease back into sleep again with Leia cuddled against him.

888888888888888888888888888888888

It wasn't the morning light that woke up Leia, rather it was a feeling someone was watching her as she slept. She cracked her eyes open and sure enough a pair of guarded hazel eyes were quietly observing her. She yawned, closed her eyes and snuggled against him, unwilling to give up her place of comfort. He remained quiet but she could tell he was awake and wasn't going to sleep anytime soon, and even if she wasn't checking in through their now inactive force bond, she could feel his conscious mind skimming along quickly, there was definitely something he wanted to talk to her about.

"What is it, Han?" She rolled over on her back, opened her eyes, and looked at him.

His gaze remained steady, and guarded.

"I know you have something on your mind, you might as well spit it out."

He absently ran his hand down her side and she shivered, pulling her attention back to her mind, and not his body. She met his sad hazel eyes with her own steady gaze.

"What is it?" She touched his cheek with her hand.

"Why are you here?" His eyes studied her intently as her brow wrinkled in puzzlement.

"I don't understand."

"Why are you with me? What can you possibly see in me?"

"Is this a trick question?"

"Dead serious, Princess. We are from completely different places and all I've done is ruin your life."

"Han! Don't talk nonsense."

"I mean it, you could have had everything. The position you wanted, a nice life like you deserve, and a man…that's better suited to you and your needs."

Leia felt her heart lurch in her chest as she heard the somberness of his tone. She placed her hand on cheek and forced him to look into her eyes. "I chose you, out of all the men I knew, all the men who wanted me, I chose you." She kept her hand touching his cheek. "I didn't want anyone else, only you."

Reluctantly Han nodded, dropping his gaze.

"What is it?"

Han's eyes desperately searched hers again. "Why aren't you mad at me? Why don't you hate me?"

"I don't understand," she said slowly.

"I fucking lost Breha! What else is there to understand?" he snapped and in one movement rolled away from her and out of the bed. "What kind of father am I to lose my own daughter?"

"Really? Is that what you think?" Leia was out of bed too and she planted herself in front of her husband. "Because it's not what I think. Han, you were kidnapped and tortured, for months!"

"Yeah, tell me something I don't know."

"You had no control over what happened." She sighed. "It's not like you put her somewhere and forgot where she was."

"Doesn't matter, the end result is the same. I should have listened to you and left her at home."

Leia chewed her lip for a moment, contemplating how to answer her agitated husband. "Han, it shouldn't have happened, you went to a safe port." Leia rubbed her face for a moment working to control her rising emotions. "I wouldn't have let either of you go if I thought something was going to happen. You know that."

Reluctantly he nodded.

"It happened, she was taken and now she's gone. Now we have to move forward so that we can find her."

Han stared at her for a long moment, and then rubbed his chin, something he always did when he was deep in thought. "Why are you accepting of this? The fact that she's gone?" He gave her a suspicious look.

She took a deep breath wondering how honest she should be, how much she should tell him about her force visions for Breha. She decided it was better to have this conversation now rather than later and took a deep breath.

"Breha is alive."

"What? How do you know?" Han's anger turned to excitement, the green in his eyes lighting with hope.

"I feel it, through the force."

"Oh, that." Han's dismay was apparent.

"Don't 'oh, that' to me! Don't you get it? It means she's alive."

"You're sure?"

Leia nodded.

"Where?" He stepped forward and grabbed her elbows.

"I don't know," she said sadly. "It's faint, barely discernable. All I know is that she is alive, because I would feel it if she died. Just as I would feel it if you or Ben died. We are all connected through the force."

Giving her a grimace of acknowledgement, Han nodded. "Can Luke find her that way?"

"He's been trying, so far nothing."

"So, we still don't know where she is?" he growled.

Helplessly, she shook her head and when she looked up she found him staring at her.

"I know you're not the kind of woman to have hysterics, and you play everything close to the vest, but Leia, this is our daughter. Why do you seem okay with this?" His eyes pleaded for an answer from her.

"Come sit down," she instructed and want to sit on the bed.

After a moment, he went over and sat by her, she could feel all his guards were in place as he regarded her. "Go on," he said.

"You have to keep an open mind."

"What does that mean?" He sat back after studying her. "Oh, it's force related, isn't it?" He snorted in disdain.

"Open minded," Leia reminded him.

"Fine," he crossed his arms and sat back.

"Luke has told us about force visions, and you know we've all had them."

"Except for me."

"Right. I've had some about Breha since she's been…gone…"

"Bre," Han heaved a heartfelt sigh. "You've had force visions about Bre?"

"Yes, some rather strong ones."

"What do you see?" His expression was pleading, and she steeled herself for what she had to tell him and his ensuing reaction.

"I've seen different things, different outcomes depending on what we do."  
"So we find her and bring her home and everything is good again, right?" Han scrutinized her and Leia knew he couldn't imagine any other sort of outcome.

Her eyes pleaded with him to understand, and she shook her head. "No, Han. That's not what I see. When I see us getting her back, raising her as we should, I see bad things happening."

"What kind of bad things?" His expression was deadly serious

"I see her dying. She is attacked and killed. Or she dies in an accident, or she turns," Leia swallowed as they stared at each other, but try as she might, she couldn't read him; not through his eyes, not through the force.

"That wouldn't happen. I wouldn't let it." He said in a grim voice.

"There are things we can't control," Leia said gently.

"I can keep her safe," he said stubbornly. "I will make sure I do."

"Han, you can't make that promise. You can't be her keeper. She would grow to resent it and it isn't fair to you. How would you live your life?"

"It wouldn't matter, Breha being safe is all that matters."

"And when she grows up? What then?"

Han glared at her. "What's the other scenario?"

"We don't bring her home. We leave her off the grid so that we don't know where she is. She grows to adulthood safe and relatively happy."

"No. We're here family and we love her. She has to come home."

"Han…"

"Can you say with certainty that this what her future will be?"

"No, but…"

"Then you don't know for sure something would happen to her."

Leia's gaze pleaded for understanding. "I feel something bad would happen to her if we bring her home. The visions are very strong."

"Worse than starving? Worse than trying to claw for any scrape of food to survive? Krist, Leia, she's only six years old."

"How old were you when you grew up on the streets?"

"It's not the same thing! She doesn't have to grow up that way! She's our daughter!"

"She's strong, she can do it." Leia persisted, her voice solemn.

"What in the hell is wrong with you? Who are you that you don't want our daughter back?" He regarded her with growing horror.

"Don't you dare look at me like that or accuse me of not wanting Bre back! You have no idea what I went through this last year, searching for Bre and you! Knowing you were near death! Never finding Bre! Don't you dare question my love for her!" Leia's brown eyes snapped with fury.

"Well you seem to be accepting her loss really well," Han drawled in sarcasm. "It makes me wonder how much you really love her."

Before Leia was aware of her actions, she slapped Han so hard that it left a mark on his cheek.

Breathing hard and jaws clenched he took a step back from her. Hazel eyes dark with rage regarded her with disdain, then he turned on his heel and left the room.

Leia glared after him, and unable to help herself, she force threw her favorite vase against the wall by the doorway watching as it shattered, pieces falling onto their carpet.

 _Damn that man!_

Seeking to calm herself so as not to make things any worse between them, she left the bedroom and went to her home office where she found a quiet corner of the room, and sat on the floor, seeking to meditate a calming aura instead of the angry one that she felt coursing through her.

It would be easier if she didn't want the same thing Han did, but she wanted to have Breha home too. It was a classic struggle of her head versus her heart, and as much as she wanted to listen to her heart her head told her the force visions were true and she needed to keep Breha safe no matter what the cost.

She inwardly cringed, hoping she could find a way to navigate these tricky waters and get Han on the same page with her. If not, there was going to be a large point of contention between them for a very long time.

888888888888888888888888888

AN: Thanks for reading; reviews make writers happy!


	15. Chapter 15

_AN: Just an FYI – smut ahead! You have been warned! lol_

 **Chapter Fifteen**

The air on the balcony was cool and given the heat of his rage, it seemed soothing. He knew it was a bad comparison but it was the best he could do at the moment. He was trying to keep his composure so he wouldn't say something he would regret later, so he walked away until he could talk more rationally, but at the moment he didn't know if such a time would ever arrive.

Breha! Every day, every hour, every minute he thought of her, wondered where she was, and when they would find her and bring her home. Home to the life she deserved, to be raised with loving parents and a bratty brother, with all the food she could eat and a place where she would never want for anything. He would see to that. _But, no boys. Never any boys as she grew up because none of them would ever be good enough for his little princess._

He gripped the rails of the balcony tightly, so lost in his thoughts that he didn't hear Ben open the door and close it behind him.

"Dad?" Ben said softly, but Han was staring out into the morning traffic. "Dad?" he tried again and gave a small tug on Han's sleeve.

"Ben? What? Oh, Hi." Han tried to pull himself together for his son. "What's up?"

Ben's expression was serious as he gazed at his father. "I heard you and Mom fight, you were loud."

And expression of regret crossed Han's face as he turned to Ben. "I'm sorry, son. We didn't mean to wake you up."

"You guys fight a lot…"

"That's called bickering, and sometimes it's the best way for your mom and I to communicate."

"But this was different, you're really mad at each other."

At a loss for words from his perceptive son, Han could only nod.

"Why are you so mad at Mom?" Ben crossed his arms in front of him assuming a defensive stance.

 _The boy was Leia's protector? Well, that probably wasn't such a bad thing,_ he almost smiled at the thought.

"We disagree on something very important…"  
"Breha."

"How did you?"

"The force, Dad. I try not to listen but for not being force sensitive, you're loud."

Han only frowned, and mumbled some incomprehensible words.

"I want to go with you," Ben said, his expression earnest.

"What are you talking about?" Han gave his son a cautious look.

"When you search for Breha, I want to go with you," he said with great patience.

"Who said I'm going to do that?"

Ben's dark eyes, so like Leia's met his father's with just a hint of amusement, and he tapped his head. "You can't hide it from me."

"Does your mother know?"

Ben cocked his head towards the bedroom as if he were listening to a different channel and then turned back to his father and shook his head. "No, she's brought down her shields so I can't tell exactly what she's thinking, but that means she's not listening to us either."

"Oh." Han frowned, still unhappy with all of this force nonsense.

Ben suddenly looked at the ground, and moved his foot as if he were kicking an imaginary pebble out of the way. Han watched him with some confusion and felt his anger begin to dissipate.

"Ben?"

"I have to tell you something," the boy mumbled at the ground.

"Is it important? 'Because you might want to wait until I'm in a better mood."

"Yeah, Mom said I should have talked to you right after I did it."

"Did what?"

Ben spoke softly as if he were afraid of the consequences of his actions. "When you first came home…"

"…about a month ago…"

"Yeah, that. You were really hurt."

"Yeah, I know bud, sorry. I guess I should have waited to come home." Han sighed and stepped closer to Ben and ruffled his hair. "I was only thinking about how much I wanted to be out of the Med Center and home with you guys. I hope you understand." He searched Ben's dark eyes for understanding, but saw impatience there instead.

"That's not it, Dad."

"Then what?"

"Well, like you said, you were really hurt…and I wanted to understand why."

"Ben, listen to me, you should never, under any circumstances know what really happened to me." Han regarded his son with sad eyes. "I never want you to see that kind of evil."

"But Dad, I saw it!" Ben shook free from Han's hands on his shoulders. "I went into your mind…"

"You what?" Han roared. "You know better than to do that!"

"I didn't mean it, I just wanted to know what happened to you, why you were so hurt…"

"You didn't have permission, young man." Han regarded his son who now stood defiantly before him, lip trembling, arms at his side, but facing up to him. A small part of him was impressed at his courage.

"I needed to find out what happened to you and that was the only way to do it."

Han expelled a large sigh and let go of some more anger as he knelt beside the boy. "What did you see?"

"I didn't get very far…"

"Thank goodness for small favors," Han muttered.

"I saw you chained up and…Boba Fett laughing at you as you were…whipped…" his face had gone ashen. "But you were so strong, you didn't cry out and I felt how much it hurt you…"

"You felt that?" Han's scowl had deepened at what his young son had witnessed, he wanted to spare him that. "Oh, Ben..." He pulled his son to him in a fierce hug and they hung onto each other for several minutes.

"He's a bad man, Dad."

"Believe me, Ben, I know."

"Are you going to punish him?"

"I'd love to," Han growled, "but it's not up to me, it's up to the court system."

"Would you torture him if you could?"

Han had to think about it for a few moments, he remembered the pain he had suffered, both physical and mental and realized as payback, surprisingly, he wouldn't do it.

"Not as payback."

"Why would you?"

"As a way to find Breha." He started as he suddenly remembered he was talking to a ten-year-old and not another adult. "But it's not the right thing. In the long run torture doesn't accomplish anything." Han studied him with somber eyes. "It's a bad thing, Ben."

"I know, Dad."

"Okay, good." Han stood up again and stretched.

"I still want to go with you," Ben pleaded.

"Where?"

"When you look for Bre. She's my sister and I miss her."

"Who said I'm going to? Your Mom..."

"But you have other contacts." Ben said knowingly.

"How do you…" Han started and then frowned at his son in disapproval. "Ben!"

"Stop thinking so loudly, sheesh!" Ben said with great indignation.

The two regarded each other and after a long moment Han smiled and chuckled as Ben joined him.

"Well I have been accused of having a big mouth."

Ben just stared at him with pleading brown eyes that always undid him, whether they belonged to Leia or his son.

"All right, fine. But not a word to your mother."

"Okay, good." Ben nodded with excitement.

Han rubbed his chin and studied his son. "Do you ever get force visions?"

"Sometimes, but I don't like them."

"Why?"

"I don't know, they always seem creepy to me."

"Have you had any about Bre?"

"No. None." Ben shook his head.

Han didn't know if it was good or bad. He nodded towards the doors. "Since you're up we might as well have breakfast, don't you think?"

"Yeah, sounds good." Ben turned and raced through the doors while Han trailed after him.

888888888888888888888888888

Later that night, quite late, Han entered their living suite and made his way to their bedroom. He briefly wondered if Leia would have locked him out, but she hadn't changed the access code so the worst scenario would have him sleeping on the couch.

Taking a deep breath, he tried the bedroom door and was relieved when it opened. Leia wasn't in the bedroom but as he listened he heard the water running in the fresher. He stood awkwardly inside the door and shut it behind him, wondering if he should get ready for bed or not. He decided to wait until Leia returned to see what kind of mood she was in, and his wait wasn't long as she emerged only moments later. She hardly blinked upon seeing him in the bedroom but raised an eyebrow in question.

"Do you want me here?" _No point in beating around the bush._

"Why wouldn't I?"

"You haven't always wanted me around after a fight."

"True, but I'm glad you're home."

"You are?" Han couldn't hide the surprise.

"Han, I'm always glad you're around, even when I'm so mad I could throttle you."

"Works both ways, your Worship," he muttered.

"How about we let it go for tonight and go to bed?"

"Agree to disagree?"

"For now. We can discuss it later after we've both had time to cool off."

Han knew he wouldn't change his mind on this one, but he was willing to concede that to discuss this rationally they both had to have a calmer outlook. And in the meantime, at least he could still sleep with his wife.

"Fair enough," he agreed and disappeared into the fresher.

When he emerged a few minutes later, Leia was already in bed appearing comfortable but quite wide awake. He slid in under the cover and opened his arms to her, and was happy when she didn't hesitate but snuggled against his chest.

"I hate when we fight like this," she whispered.

"Why?"

"I'm always afraid you won't come home, that I'll finally drive you away."

"That will never happen, Princess. You're stuck with me forever and ever. Til death do us part, remember?" He teased.

"Han, I'm not joking. I don't know what I would do if you left me."

"If something ever happened to take me away from you, you would go on, you're a survivor, you have always been a survivor." He grinned. "Are you thinking of knocking me off for the life insurance?"

She snorted. "I still can't believe a company insured you."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Sweetheart." He paused, and his grin faded into a serious expression. "But I will tell you, I could never go one without you, no matter how much we fight I want you to remember that. You're the only woman I've ever loved, and the only woman I will ever love."

"So, I don't have to be jealous when women hit on you?"

It was his turn to snort in disbelief. "Hardly. No one can hold a candle to you, and you know it."

Leia studied his face and nodded, pleased with what he said. "Good. I'm glad we got that settled."

Han laid back and chuckled. "Besides, you'd probably kill them first, and then me."

"Why would I do that?" Leia asked sweetly, but pinched his ribs.

"Ouch. Why are you such a mean Princess?"

"Sometimes I have to be to get what I want," she said and without missing a beat slid her hand into his boxers.

He gasped and felt himself hardening within her grasp. His body hadn't forgotten the feel of her touch. "Leia," he groaned, knowing it had been damn near a year since they had been intimate with one another.

"You like?" Her eyes were playful and he groaned again, knowing he was about to be ravished by his wife.

"You have no idea," he said as she suddenly disappeared under the covers. He kicked off his boxers and felt her mouth on him and nearly lost it right there as he enjoyed the feel of her tongue as she licked his sensitive shaft, and ran her teeth across his tender tip. He grabbed her head and pulled her up to his chest where she gave him a questioning look.

"If you want this to last for even a little while you need to stop," eyes dark with desire as he regarded her.

"Aren't your Corellian genes up to a repeat performance? That would be a first."

"I am recovering," he said in a quiet voice.

"I could stop…" she suggested, and he growled at her and pulled her into a fierce kiss.

"Don't stop. Why don't you ride me?"

"Oh?" She cocked her eyebrow at him and he saw her pleased expression as she threw back the covers and slowly impaled herself on him.

"Gods, Leia! I hope you're close…" was all he could get out before she began sliding up and down, moving against him at an almost desperate pace. Han began to thrust against her, unable to restrain himself as she suddenly clenched around him, causing him to endlessly spill inside of her. She milked him, as her muscles spasmed, holding him inside of her. As her orgasm subsided, she collapsed on top of him, breathing heavily. Their breath slowly returned to normal, and she kissed him, content to be on lying on his chest, enfolded in his arms.

"I didn't hurt you, did I?" She asked, suddenly aware of his still healing scars.

Han grinned. "This kind of pain I can live with," he said and pulled her head down for a kiss.

They began to kiss again, slowly but with growing passion as their mouth opened to one another and they exchanged their breath until it became one. Their hands explored, stroked, tweaked, and mouth licked nibbled and bit one another as they became familiar with each other's bodies once again.

Within minutes he was hard with need for her again, and feeling better than he had in a long time, he rolled her over so that she was pinned beneath him. He stopped before entering her to look into her eyes and saw only love for him, and he felt his heart heal just a little more.

"Love you, Princess," he whispered as he entered her with great tenderness.

"Love you too, Flyboy," she moaned as she arced against him. "Oh, Han!"

"Leia!" Their rhythm began again, new and at the same time familiar to lovers so often entwined with each other.

Han felt a familiar prod against his mind, and lost in the moment, he opened to Leia, allowing their force bond to blaze as it reignited. The effect was instantaneous and overwhelming as waves of love and desire washed through both with such a rapid crescendo that they were helpless against it. They cried out in sheer bliss as they both achieved orgasm simultaneously, and the warmth of utter happiness wrapped tendrils of love around them, and they collapsed into a blissful sleep.


	16. Chapter 16

_AN: You guys are great! Thanks for your reviews – much appreciated._

 **Sixteen**

 _Han was back on the Falcon, Breha looking up at him as he hid her in the smuggling hold._

" _Stay there Breha, no matter what don't come out unless it's me or your Mom, or Chewie or Uncle Luke, okay?"_

 _Breha wrinkled her brow in annoyance but nodded. "You'll come back and get me, right Daddy?"_

 _Han nodded. "Yes, I will. But remember to stay quiet no matter what and send out the force message to your Mom and Uncle Luke, okay?"_

" _You already told me that," he little girl rolled her eyes looking so like Leia that Han chuckled despite the situation._

" _Love you, Bre," Han smiled down at his little girl, his heart full of love for her._

" _Love you too, Daddy. Don't take long."_

 _Han nodded and sealed the hold and prayed to deities he didn't believe in that she would be all right._

 _Suddenly, the memory changed and Breha was standing before him in a black void, staring at him in accusation. "Daddy, why did you leave me?"_

" _Bre! I didn't want to leave you…"_

" _You left me!" Her angry eyes accused him._

" _I was taken away…" Han pleaded._

" _You promised!" Breha cried out._

' _Bre, I love you."_

" _No, you don't. You left me!"_

" _Bre, please I'll find you…" Han reached for her but she was fading into the darkness._

" _Daddy!" she screamed as she disappeared._

" _Bre!"_ Han shouted in his dream and woke up in a cold sweat, breathing heavily. He ran his hand over his face and was grateful to realize he hadn't vocalized his nightmare. Leia, she stirred restlessly but remained asleep. Knowing that sleep was lost to him, he retreated to their den, grabbing a bottle of Corellian whiskey along the way.

88888888888888888888888888

A half an hour later Leia found him sitting on the sofa in the den, nursing his third whiskey. She stared at him in concern and knew the nightmare he had was bothering him, though she didn't intrude to find out what caused him such consternation, she could make a good guess as to what it was. Wordlessly she entered the room, retrieved a glass for herself and sat down on the couch next to him. She poured herself a shot and then replenished his now empty glass.

"Encouraging drinking, Princess?"

"In this case, yes." She paused and swirled the liquor in her glass before speaking again. "You had a nightmare."

He nodded and took another sip of whiskey, still not looking at her.

Cautiously, she leaned back against the sofa and into him, not sure of his mood.

"It's all right, I won't eat you alive."

"Famous last words," she said trying to coax a smile from him, but his expression remained stoic. "Wanna talk about it?"

He shook his head.

"I can help," she said softly.

"No force stuff!" He glared at her.

"No, I just meant I would listen to you."

Han took another draught from his glass and remained quiet.

"I can guess if you'd like."

He took another sip.

"Breha."

Han made a growling noise at no one in particular and poured himself another drink.

"What you want me to think about…I can't do it." He ran a hand over his face. "Krist, she's our baby, my little girl…I can't leave her out there alone…in the galaxy…" he bowed his head and she saw him swallow hard several times.

"It's not fair for me to ask you that, is it?" Leia laid a hand on his arm.

"No, it's not, but I know… you wouldn't…if you didn't believe it…but I can't…believe it…she's our baby girl, Leia," he finally looked at her and she was stunned by the anguish in his dark hazel eyes.

Leia had been resisting being explicit about the force dreams she had as she was trying to spare Han more pain, but perhaps he needed to see so that he could understand how painful the suggestion was for her to make.

"I wanted to spare you what I saw, but if you need to see, to know why I've been stressing this…then I will show you." Leia met his eyes, now dark with pain, and bowed her head.

"The force bond?"

She nodded and threw back the contents of her glass before regarding him again. "It's your choice, Han. I won't make you see what I saw."

"It's that bad?"

She nodded.

Han was quiet for a few seconds, and he finally nodded. "I need to know how bad it is…this vision of yours…" he whispered.

"Let me in," Leia said and felt him slowly drop his guard. She found their bond, and felt it pulsing strongly with a life of its own, and gently she opened it up until she felt Han's presence with her. His presence was filled with grief and sorrow and she tenderly offered what comfort she could both physically as she snuggled into his side, and mentally as she tried to soothe him before she began.

 _Do it,_ Han urged and she felt him steel himself for what she was about to show him.

He reluctantly, but willingly followed her along the path she led him on to her vision.

Leia felt the force pulsing within her, felt the force drawing her along a path which led her to their daughter, Breha.

Again, she saw them finding Breha, their joyful and loving reunion as their daughter once again became part of their life. Growing up as Han's constant shadow, the two of them flying and working on the Falcon, shopping with Leia, training with Ben. And as she got older staying with her friends, making new ones, and turning into a beautiful, young woman who held their hearts in her hand. Then on some type of special event, Breha disappeared and was found hours later; assaulted and broken, but with her death uncertain.

This vision was abruptly severed and replaced with another short one, Breha stood facing the darkness, the glow of a red lightsaber unmistakable as a hand beckoned her. Concerned, she glanced over her shoulder at her parents who held out their hands to her, beckoning her back, but with a sorrowful last nod, she walks away from them and into the dark.

 _No,_ Han mumbled and tried to break away.

Not yet, you have to see the rest, Leia told him trying to remain stoic despite her inner turmoil.

The vision changed one more time. Breha was gone and they drew closer to Ben and tried to help him through the difficulties as he grew up, they were still a family and except for Breha, life was basically good. Suddenly there was a vision of rapturous brightness, a light that illuminated everything in her path as she emerged into the universe as a young adult woman. An intelligent, decent woman with integrity and wisdom that belied her youthfulness, she looked like her Leia but acted like Han. Then the vision faded, and Leia began to remove them from their shared communication when Han stopped her.

 _You need to see my last memory,_ he told her and she nodded somberly.

88888888888888888888888888888

The door opened and Breha, escorted by Fett himself entered the room. Fett said nothing but gestured to the empty chair and the girl climbed into it. She glared at Fett and turned to her father, and in a very composed gesture, folded her hands together and set her elbows on the table.

"Father, this man found me and pulled me from the ship. What's happening?"

She reminded him so much of Leia in that moment he almost cried. And he knew he was on her shit list when she addressed him as 'father'.

"Breha, are you all right? I mean, are you really all right? Did they touch you? Hurt you?"

The girl shook her head, picking up on how rattled her father really was at the situation. "I'm fine, Dad."

"You're sure?" He reached across the table and took her small hand in his.

"Yes," she bit her lip, feeling waves of sadness and anger coming from him even though he was doing his best to remain calm.

"Dad?" She couldn't hide the anxiety from her voice.

"It will be all right, Bre, I swear. You remember what I told you?"

She nodded slowly, realizing he was referring to her contacting Uncle Luke and her mother through the force.

"Did that work out?"

"I think so."

"Good, that's good." Han swallowed with difficulty. He knew they didn't have much more time together before Jasper would take her away. "You have to listen to me Bre, and baby, please believe me, I love you so much I can't even tell you. You completely fill my heart and you always will."

"I love you too, Daddy." Breha frowned, her eyes dark with concern for her father.

"We're going to be separated but you won't be hurt, you will be taken to a place with strangers but they will look after you. You will still need to do what we talked about, all right? It's important."

"Yes, Daddy. And if anyone, I mean anyone tries to hurt to you do what you have to." Han's eyes were dark with determination. "Do what you have to in order to survive."

"Anything?" she squeaked out in a small voice.

"Don't sell yourself ever. But if you are alone for a while and you need to steal to live, then you do it."

"Daddy!"

Han laughed at her indignant expression. "Bre, it's okay. People aren't always dealt a good hand and sometimes you need to do things like that. I did when I was a kid."

Breha gave regarded him with concern. "You stole things?"

"Had to, I grew up on the streets."

"I didn't know that."

Han laughed. "Your mother wanted me to have this conversation with you when you were older, but now seems like a good time."

"My point is that even if you have to wait you can do it, you can survive. You're strong, Bre, and can manage until…"

"…got it, Dad."

They stared at each other for long moments, clutching each other's hands.

"What's going to happen to you?" The fear was evident in her eyes and she was suddenly the five-year-old girl she truly was instead of a small imitation of Leia.

"I'll be fine, baby girl. I just need to finish some old business with Mr. Fett. It will be a while before I can leave."

"Is he going to hurt you?"

Han saw the tears in her eyes and went over to her and pulled her to him as she clung to him tightly.

"I'll be fine, Bre, I promise. And I'll find you again."

Fett reinserted himself into the conversation by slowly clapping his hands. "Such a touching farewell. Finish up, Solo, she needs to be on her way."

"So Jasper, Fett's friend is going to take you for a ride in the Falcon. He'll find a place for you to stay. Remember what I said, and don't stop trying, okay?"

"All right, Daddy," the tears were running down her face now.

Han held her to him tightly. "I love you, baby girl. You're Daddy's ray of sunshine."

"I love you too, Daddy."

Fett cleared his throat and with an encouraging squeeze, Han set Breha on the floor, his hands remaining on her shoulders. "Be good, be strong, and I'll find you again, I promise you, Bre."

"Yes, Daddy," Breha wiped away the tears were running down her cheeks. "I hate crying," she muttered.

"Just like you're mom."

They exchanged on last, long look and Han tried to put all his feelings of love, and confidence in her into that look, along with his belief in her strength. Her lips quivered and she nodded and flung herself into his strong arms and held onto him fiercely. Then there was a quiet knock on the door and Jasper, dressed for travel stepped through the doorway.

"Time to go," Fett said and gently but firmly separated Breha from her father. With a lingering gaze over her shoulder at Han, Breha allowed herself to be led away.

Han gathered himself together and when he looked at Fett again, his eyes were bright with unshed tears. "I'll make you pay for this no matter what I do," he said in a deceptively calm voice.

"I believe you'll try but somehow I think that will be an extremely difficult proposition for you." Fett sighed. "Come along, Solo. I'll allow you one night of rest, or self-loathing, whichever you choose before we move and I get started with my revenge."

He knocked on the door and another of Fett's henchman appeared to escort Han back to the cell he had previously occupied.

Using all his self-restraint, Han clamped down on his tumultuous emotions not allowing them to overwhelm him until he was alone and could deal with them. When the door shut behind him and he was sealed in for the night, he buried his head in his hands. _He had failed his baby girl, what would become of her now?_

88888888888888888888888

Han abruptly released Leia and the memory and she fell back against the couch like a rag doll, breathing heavily. When she regained her composure, and turned to him, he was halfway through another glass of whiskey.

Leia poured herself another and joined him. Then she set their glasses down and burrowed against him., seeking comfort, or giving it, she wasn't exactly sure at this point.

Han absently put an arm around Leia and drew her against his chest, holding her tight. He tenderly stroked her hair and she could feel his silent grief as she kept her face pressed against him offering what comfort she could in between her own quiet tears.

There was no more conversation that night as they finished the bottle of fine Corellian whiskey in silence.


	17. Chapter 17

_AN: Since Chpt 16 was a bit of a re-hash I thought I should post up another chapter. Thanks for reading and your reviews._

 **Chapter Seventeen**

Leia's office was quiet late at night, as was the entire building, her office was the only one open for what she expected to be a tense meeting with her brother Luke. Han paced restlessly and swore to himself again as he stopped and looked at Leia.

"Han, calm down," Leia commented as she went over to stand before him, "he'll be here any minute."

Han scowled at her and shook off the hand she placed on her arm. "Why is he late?"

"Traffic."

"Has he commed?"

"No."

"Then how do you know that?"

Leia gave him an exasperated look but didn't quite roll her eyes.

"Oh," Han's scowl only deepened.

"Are you going to be able to have a civil conversation with Luke or do we need to excuse you?"

"Don't treat me like a child!"

"Then stop acting like one. Do you think this is easy for me?" Leia's voice was now as cranky as his.

They glared at each other for a few moments until Han let out a deep breath.

"I know this isn't easy for either of us. I just want to get this conversation over with."

She watched as he poured them both a shot of Corellian Whiskey and handed her a glass. She set hers down and watched as he sat down and practically inhaled his, and she regarded him with concern.

He must have felt her eyes on him because he turned back and caught her worried expression.

"What? Can't I have a drink?"

"You've had a lot of them lately," she observed with a quiet voice.

"I'm entitled, don't you think?" He snapped, but she let it go because she knew how hard he was trying to cope with his inner turmoil and pain.

"We both are, Han, believe me, we both are." Suddenly weary she pushed the drink away from her.

The silence fell between them once again, filled with an undercurrent of deep emotions that both of them were trying to mask.

"Hey," he softly broke the silence and Leia looked over at him. He nodded at her and offered her a half smile, and she knew he was trying, maybe it would be easier for her if she didn't feel his pain.

"Hey," she echoed back and watched as he patted the seat beside him.

After a moment's hesitation she assumed the spot beside him and he dropped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. It was a silent apology, something they both seemed to be doing a lot of lately.

A few minutes later they heard a familiar voice calling their name. "Leia? Han?" Luke asked as he entered the office and smiled at the two people that meant the most to him and had for many years.

Leia got up and rushed over to her brother, hugging him tightly. Han wasn't far behind, but offered him a briefer almost awkward hug. Luke watched the two of them reading their faces as much as their auras and knew this was going to be a difficult conversation for all parties involved. He spied the whiskey bottle and glasses on a nearby table and decided he might as well join in.

"Did you ask if you could have some?" Han asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Didn't think I had to after all this time, but if you really want…" Luke began.

"Nah, just teasing. Besides, I think you're going to need a drink too."

Luke grimaced. "This is going to be difficult isn't it?"

"For all of us," Leia agreed.

Luke nodded and found a chair by the nearby table and sat down as he waited for the other two to do the same. "Where do you want to start? What do you need to know?"

"Have you found her?" Han blurted out, unable to stop himself.

Luke weighed his answer before answering in a neutral voice. "No, Han. I haven't. I am still looking."

Leia gave her brother a strange look but remained silent.

"Have you seen her?" Han asked, his voice hoarse with emotion.

"I'm not sure what you're asking, I just told you…"

"In force visions? Han is asking if you've had any force visions about Breha."

"Can we all take a deep breath and slow this down?" Luke asked.

The other two nodded reluctantly.

Luke closed his eyes and appeared to meditate, Han looked at Leia and she shrugged.

Luke regarded them with solemn eyes. "I know you have questions about my search for Breha and I'm here to answer them for you. I have searched in many places but haven't found her yet, but I have more leads I will follow."

"Any chance they'll pan out?" Han's voice was rough with emotion.

"Han, I'm sorry, I don't know." Luke shrugged.

"But you'll keep looking?" Han ran a hand across the stubble on his jaw.

"Of course." He noticed Han and Leia exchange a painful look between them. "What?"

"There's more, Luke. We need your advice on matters of the force," Leia said.

"Okay? What do you need?"

"Show him, Leia, show him what you've seen," Han instructed.

"You're sure?"

Han nodded. "Yeah, it's going to be hard enough to talk about it without having to describe it…"

"Luke, I've had force visions about Breha, I need you to see them, I need you to tell me what they mean."

"Leia, I can't necessarily interpret your force visions. The force shows each of us different things and what you see may not be what I see."

"I know you can do better than that," Leia crossed her arms in front of her. "So don't give me any grief about not knowing what the force means."

"It's true. It's different for each of us."

"Yes, but you've had more experience in the force, you understand it better."

Luke nodded and with a sigh met Leia's gaze. "I will do what I can. Show me your vision."

Leia exchanged a look with Han who gave her a terse nod of acknowledgement, and she closed her eyes and let Luke into her mind.

The presence of Luke was comforting, she always forgot that until she communicated with him through the force, but his essence surrounded her and calmed her, encouraged her to share her visions. So she opened up to her brother, let him into the pathways on her mind that led to the force images of Breha, of the potential outcomes for bringing her home, and for not bringing her home. Luke remained neutral throughout and observed everything Leia showed him and when she was done, quietly eased them out of their shared communication.

He gave Leia a few moments to recover before he began to speak, while Han watched anxiously between the two of them.

"Leia, I can see why those images are disturbing…"

"Disturbing? That's our daughter for Krist sake!"

"I know, Han…"

"What in the nine hells do you mean disturbing!" He stood up and yelled at Luke.

"Han, calm down. Let Luke talk."

Luke waited for Han to calm down, when he did, the folded his arms and leaned back against a nearby bulkhead.

"I've had force visions about Breha too," Luke said.

"You have? Did you find her? Is she all right?" Han blurted out.

"Han…" Luke took a deep breath and regarded the two others. "My force visions are similar to Leia's. I'm sorry."

Han searched his friend's eyes searching for the truth and saw something that made him nod and drop his head. He worked his jaw, and swallowed several times. "You're sure, Luke?"

"We cannot be certain since they are visions of the future, but if you bring her back and give her the life she so richly deserves, it's probable her future will be dark."

"And if we leave her? If we don't bring her back?" Leia whispered, unable to stop a tear from rolling down her face.

Luke offered them both a smile filled with light and peace. "I see you finding her as an adult. She" is intelligent, beautiful, amazing, and radiates light from the force within her. She practically glows with it and will bring hope to the galaxy so desperately in need of it."

Han shook his head after clearing his throat repeatedly. "We can't leave her to grow up like that!"

Luke stared at him with sad eyes, but his tone was firm as if talking to a child. "You need to give this serious thought, it's the galaxy we're talking about…"

"It's not the galaxy, it's our daughter!" Han's voice shook with frustration and anger. "There must be another way, there's always another way." He frantically searched both Luke and Leia's faces. Leia was watching Luke as well.

"I'm not sure that there is," Luke said quietly.

"I don't believe you! I won't believe you!"

"Han, you need to accept…"

"I don't need to accept anything! Krist, I'll find her myself if I have to! With or without medical clearance!" With a look of disgust for Luke, he stalked to the door. "I gotta go…."

"Han?" Leia stepped towards him and reached for him almost in desperation. He pulled her to him held her tightly and kissed her forehead before gently pushing her away.

"I need to leave…think…" he mumbled and turned and fled the office.

Luke and Leia stared at each other across the empty space, hearing the echo of Han's footsteps in the hallway until the faded away completely.

Unable to control herself any longer, Leia burst into tears, her heart breaking with the impossible choices laid before her. "How can you ask us, him to do that? To stop searching for her?"

"Leia, I'm sorry, but I couldn't lie to you. You and Han have to know the truth so you can make an informed decision."

She nodded miserably.

"Leia, there is hope. Look at how bright she shines in the future!" Luke said, his voice filled with awe.

"But Luke, she's our little girl, we want her with us."

"I know it will be difficult…"

"Difficult? Really? Difficult?" She glared at Luke. "Do you have any idea how hard this is on Han? He's barely recovered from his…torture…"

"Leia, Han will recover, he will be fine."

"Fine? How can he ever be fine with Breha gone from our lives? How can we ever have a normal life without our daughter?" she screamed at him.

Luke stood quietly, calmly, and waited.

"Han is giving up his soul without her. Do you know the last thing he said to her? He promised her that he would find her, that she would be with us again. If we know where she is, how can we leave her?"

"Leia, how can you not?' Luke asked, and she saw the pain in his eyes as well as something else.

"Luke?" Her mind pulled the thread Luke had inadvertently left unprotected, and followed it to where it lead. Her jaw dropped and she stared at Luke in shock. "You know where she is, don't you?"

Luke met her gaze and after a long moment, he nodded.

"Have you seen her?"

"No. I haven't verified anything, but I feel it to be true."

Too shocked to stand up, Leia sank back against her desk and stared at Luke. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"I don't know that I can explain it except I was doing what I could to keep her safe."

"From us? From Han and me? We're her parents." Leia was beside herself and on her feet again. "It's not your decision to make. How dare you!"

"Leia, I want her to grow up too, to be happy."

"Even you have said the future is always in motion."

"It is," Luke agreed.

"Then who are you to say what will happen?"

"You asked for my advice, you called me here. And in your heart you know what you've seen is true."

"You should have told us, both of us," Leia said stubbornly.

"I wasn't even going to tell you, but you're strong, Leia. You can let her go."

"And Han can't?"

"Not on his own. He loves her too much, he feels too guilty for leaving her even though he had no choice."

"I suppose you're going to say this is all due to the force," Leia mocked bitterly.

"Yes, because it's true." He paused. "Just as when the time is right, she will appear to you again."

"And now we have to decide what to do."

"Leia, you can decide what to do," Luke urged gently.

"Not without Han. She's his daughter too."

Luke sighed. "Very well. Are you going to tell him about Breha?"  
"Why shouldn't I?"

"You know he will do everything to get her, to find her."

"And you want me to stop him?" Her voice was filled with pain at the thought.

"Yes, you should. Keep her safe, leave her be. I'll find her and talk to her, make sure there's someone to watch over her, make sure no one can find her," Luke's plea was earnest and sincere.

"Let me think, Gods, I have to think," she mumbled.

"Later we need to talk about Ben."

"Ben?" she echoed faintly.

"He has some…issues that I think I can help with." Luke shrugged.

"Not now, one child at a time." She rubbed her now throbbing head and regarded Luke. "You need to leave."

Luke gave her a questioning gaze.

"I'll call you when I need you."

"Leia, I can help, you know I can help."

"Get out."

"What?" Luke seemed puzzled.

Leia regarded him with a cool gaze. "Get out. I need to think and I need to do it without you around."

"But…" It was clear he wanted to argue his case about the topic at hand.

"Get. Out. Now." She pointed to the door.

"You know where to find me," Luke said but when she didn't answer he shrugged and left.

Numbly she sank down on the couch and stared sightlessly at the floor. A minute later she heard the door open behind her and responded without looking up.

"Go away, Luke. I don't want to talk to you."

 _Then it is a good thing I am not Luke,_ Chewie warbled in a soft voice.

"Chewie?" Leia quickly tried to hide her pain before she looked into the Wookie's kind face.

 _Princess._

"How much did you hear?"

 _Enough._ Chewie studied her with sad eyes. _You cannot hide this from him, you must tell Cub._

Leia bit her lip and nodded. "I will, but let me do it. In my own way."

Chewbacca watched her carefully and after a moment grunted his agreement. _As long as you do. This must be decided between the two of you. Little Princess is his daughter too._

Tears flowing down her face she was only slightly surprised when the mighty Wookie pulled her close in his embrace and held her tightly while she cried against him. After a few minutes she calmed and gently disengaged from him.

 _You are all right now?_

"Not all right, but I'll survive."

 _Good. Now I must go find my Cub and see what trouble he has gotten into._ Chewbacca turned away from the Princess but was stopped by her voice.

"Bring him home, Chewie."

 _Of course,_ he said and disappeared out of the office, closing the door behind him.

When he was gone, Leia picked up her glass of liquor and downed it quickly hoping to relieve some of her pain, and idlily wondered if she would see Han later that night. She realized his most recent habit of drinking Corellian whiskey didn't seem like such a bad idea at the moment. Still numb from her conversation with Luke, Leia filled her glass and began to let the liquor begin its work. People always said she was strong but right now she felt weak and was content for one night, to drink away her problems.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

Han was on his fifth whiskey when he looked across the table at the seedy bar he was in and saw Chewbacca staring back at him. He should have known that someone would follow him, that someone would come after him. He was a bit surprised it wasn't Leia but she had her own pain to deal with, and maybe Luke was helping her with that force nonsense which was causing so much grief.

"Chewie, what'cha doin' here?" he slurred.

The Wookie stared at him, a sad look in his wise eyes. _I think you need a friend._

"I need a lot more than…a friend." Han let his eyes fall to the table. "Krist!"

 _Drinking will not help._

"Since when? There were…plenty of times you…drank too."

 _You need to talk to the Princess. The two of you need to heal together, not apart._

"You don't understand."

 _Maybe not._ Chewie cocked a head at his friend. _Is this about the Little Princess?_

"Bre…" Han whispered.

 _It was not your fault._

"It was all my fault. I never should have…taken her with us." Han wiped a hand across his eyes.

 _Nothing should have happened. It is a safe city._

"Safe? Are you frickin' kiddin' me? Fett took my little girl! And I promised…I promised her…I would find her…" Han's voice was so soft that Chewie almost didn't hear him.

 _I will help you search,_ Chewie promised. _I love the Little Princess too._

"You'd do that?" Han regarded his friend gratefully, and Chewie saw the pain glistening his eyes.

 _Of course, Cub. Your family is my family. You should know that by now._

"Thank you," Han said and grasped Chewie's forearm for a moment before letting go. Then he finished his drink and poured another.

 _What else, Cub?_

Han shook his head, and mumbled 'no' several times.

Chewbacca waited patiently until Han looked at him again.

"I can't…" he said. "It hurts too much."

 _Then don't talk. For tonight just be and know when you are ready I will be here. And I will do whatever you need from me._

Han nodded, and swallowed, trying hard to control his emotions.

 _You should go home._

"How'd you…find me?"

 _Luke told me you needed a friend, but he said he wasn't the one you needed to see tonight._

"The kid's smart…I'll give him that."

 _I think you need to go home now to the Princess._

Han frowned. "What if I'm not…done here?" He had to admit Chewie looked fuzzier than usual.

 _I have already paid your tab so you are done here. It is time to go home._

Han winced, unhappy with that choice. He and Leia probably needed time apart, but he also knew they should be facing this together, he knew that was the only way they would get through this. And he was weak. He could think of nothing better at the moment than passing out with Leia beside him and in his arms.

"All right, Chewie…take me home," he mumbled.

Chewbacca nodded and helped his friend to his feet and laughed at Han's unsteadiness.

"I haven't had the room…spin…for a long time," he sounded astounded.

 _And that is why you're going home,_ Chewbacca said.

Han grunted his assent and leaned on the Wookie for support as he weaved his way out of the bar. Chewbacca took him back home, keyed in the unlock sequence which let them in to the suite of rooms and left Han in the hallway as he made a point of disappearing into his allotted room which was far removed from Han and Leia's bedroom. He hoped the two of them would start to heal, rather than hurt each other that night.

8888888888888888888888888888

He crashed into the wall outside of their bedroom and began cursing louder than he intended to, and he was starting to think that coming home was a bad idea when the bedroom door opened up and an unsteady Leia appeared in the doorway. She was leaning heavily on the doorframe too, he noticed.

"What in the nine hells of Corellia are you doing?" she hissed.

"I came back 'cause I wanted…to be with you!" He made a derogatory noise. "Ahh, who am I kidding?" He turned away too quickly and found himself on the floor, blinking up on her. 'Flippin' hell!"

"Han, wait. It's all right." She took a deep breath and collected herself. "You don't have to go."

Han gave up any attempts to get to his feet and just sprawled out across the floor, accepting the reality of the soft rug against his face. "Iss not all…right…she's gone….my baby…' He had given up all pretense and being strong and gave in to his feelings of grief. "…my fault…all my fault…"

She regarded him curiously for a moment, knowing the same light shone from Breha and it must be where she got it from.

Silently she sank down to the floor, kneeling beside her husband who had curled up into a ball and was crying like a helpless infant. Leia felt her heart open to him, truly seeing the depth of his grief that reached into his very heart, his soul, and with a startling clarity she realized that was how it always was for this man that she loved dearly. He had a rough exterior, but his heart was one of the purest she had ever seen, his feelings of love for those he held dear were so strong they cast a light of their own within the bonds of the force.

"Han, Han, it's okay," she murmured rubbing his back, trying to soothe him.

He turned away from her and she felt the shame that emanated from him.

"Han, please let me help you." She continued to rub his back and after a long couple of minutes he turned his grief stricken face to her. She stroked his cheek with great tenderness as he regarded her with dark sorrowful eyes. She stood up and reached out her hand to him, and he wordlessly took it, almost toppling them over with his unsteadiness. Once balanced, Leia and he wobbled their way back into the bedroom and he sat heavily on the bed, staring at the floor.

"Come on, Hotshot. Time for bed," she said concentrating hard on her words, knowing she drank too much that night as well.

"Will you help me?" his gaze was filled with desperation, and she nodded slowly.

"You'll let me try to force heal you?"

"I don't know what else to do," he whispered.

"When we wake up," she said as she helped him to remove his boots and his clothes. A sure indicator he was feeling bad was his lack of a wisecrack at her actions, instead he just crawled under the covers and closed his eyes. She stared at him for a few seconds and then joined him in bed, nudging open his arm so that he could hold her. Snuggled against his chest she finally settled for the rest of the night, pleased with her temporary sanctuary within his arms.

8888888888888888888888888888888

Leia awoke early in the morning and blinked at the reading of 0400 on the chrono. She groaned and realized most but not all of the alcohol had worked its way out of her system. She had a bit of a headache and a dry mouth, but all things considered she wasn't doing bad. Her stomach was queasy but not the kind of 'I need to throw up' queasy, and the room had, thankfully, stopped spinning. She blinked for a few moments and let her head clear and found she was surprisingly wide awake. Han now slept at her side, softly snoring and it appeared that he would be out for quite some time.

She studied him, unguarded in his sleep and concentrated on him, on reaching his mind, the essence of who he was, what he was, and without any difficulty found herself connected to him. She still didn't understand why it was like this between them as Han supposedly had no active connection to the force, but when she reached out like this his aura was always vibrant and almost a living thing. It flared brightly now but was darker than normal, tainted with shame, guilt, grief and anger.

Leia calmed herself and allowed the force to flow through her, she felt for the positive things in their life, and concentrated on the love they felt for each other. She felt it pulse within her around her and after some gentle nudging felt it echo within the life force that was Han. Her love spread out from her, encompassing him in her belief in him, in the fact he hadn't done anything wrong, and that no matter what they will get through this. His subconscious mind answered, responded with a desperate need for her love, for her forgiveness, and she granted it freely, opening herself to him and the love and strength that was buried beneath his negative emotions. Their emotions flowed together, sharing their pain, their grief, and their overwhelming love and strength. Their inner essence became one and stayed together until they found a measure of peace, then ever so gently, Leia released herself and Han from their bond, knowing when he awoke he would be aware of a difference within him, and it wouldn't take him long to know what had happened, to know what she had done.

But he had allowed it before, and she found his sleeping mind to be more relaxed and less resistant, and she took advantage of the opportunity they had at this time, and did what she could for her husband, the man she loved like no other.

She put up her shields and kept her sorrow to herself because there was no need for him to deal with that too. With a sigh, and wanting to feel the simple comfort of his skin next to hers, she placed her head on his chest and let the sound of his steadily beating heart lull her into sleep.

888888888888888888888888888888888

The garden was dark in a secluded park in the city and Luke sat on a bench, troubled by the events that were unfolding around him, feeling helpless to do anything but steer the course he saw before him.

He was disturbed by what was happening, upset his sister and best friend had to make such a torturous decision about a child so loved by the both of them. Breha was light, so bright that Luke could barely see around the vision of her in the future, around the hope she represented to the galaxy. It was unfair that in order to be the galaxy's hope she had to grow up away from her family, unfair to her as a child and unfair to her parents when there was such love between them.

Luke sighed.

"Troubled you are by what you see," a familiar voice said near him.

He looked to his right to see Yoda's spirit form regarding him with concern.

"Master Yoda, have you come to offer advice?" Luke rested his arms on his knees, and his head on his hands.

"Perhaps."

"Tell me what to do. They love her so much, she is their light."

"But a larger light for the galaxy is she not?"

"That means I should make sure she is kept away from them?" Luke sounded dejected.

"Say that, I did not exactly."

"Please, Master Yoda. I need to understand. I need to do the right thing."

"Many things can be interpreted as correct, can they not? It is all perspective."

"That's all you have for me," Luke gave a bitter laugh. "I need more. Han and Leia need more."

"Among the living I am not, advise you I cannot, best decision you can make you must. More than most you can see what the future might be."

"But the future has many alternatives that are not yet set. You said so yourself." Luke protested.

"True it is, and many paths there are, so choose you must."

"And if I choose wrong?"

"The force will find a way to set things right again. Balance there must be." Yoda appeared to sigh and bowed his head for a moment. "Happiness they will find, but difficult is the road ahead. Much grief will there be."

Luke stared at Yoda, his face ashen. "What do you mean?"

"See all you cannot, nor should you." He waited to make sure Luke was watching him. "Give up on young Solo, do not. Save him, his father will. Faith you must have."

"I don't understand. Ben is fine. He has some issues but…"

"Faith," the small Jedi master said and nodded to himself.

"And Han? What does he have to do with the force?"

"More than this I cannot tell you. But special he is." Yoda gave Luke a mysterious smile.

"Han?" Luke blinked at the Jedi Master, he loved his friend but he was Han. No more and no less.

"See you will if and when the time arrives."

"You can't tell me what the right thing is to do?" Luke pleaded softly.

"Told you I have, decide for you I cannot. Believe in yourself you must, hard decisions you must make."

A silence fell between them.

"They'll hate me," Luke said at last.

"Perhaps. For everything there is a cost. Weigh it you must. Only then can you decide."

"But Master Yoda…" Luke began but Yoda was gone.


	19. Chapter 19

_AN: Thanks for all the reviews – you guys are great!_

 **Chapter Nineteen**

Leia woke the next morning to the sound of Han heaving in the fresher. She waited until he came out a few minutes later and sat down heavily on the bunk, his face pale as he closed his eyes.

"Hangover?"

He grunted and opened one eye to look at her.

"Well, you did start drinking before me."

"Why don't you have one?"

"I didn't drink as much."

"You don't need too, you're a lightweight."

"Be that as it may, I managed to not get one."

"Lucky you," he muttered.

"Besides that, how are you feeling?"

He squinted at her in puzzlement. "You mean other than the little men banging wrenches on the inside of my head?"

Leia opened her hand and pressed some pills into his hand. He reached for the water glass he saw on the nightstand, and swallowed them, then momentarily rubbed his temples before he looked at her again.

"It will help," she said, and made her way over so that she was sitting next to him.

"How are you feeling?" She asked again and gently nudged his side.

He studied her for a moment until she gently touched his head, and he raised an eyebrow in understanding. "Oh. You force healed me?"

"Started. I didn't do much."

"What did you see?" Han's concern was evident.

"What he did to you," Leia whispered and swallowed several times.

"Leia, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to know."

"How could you keep that to yourself?"

"It was better that way."

"Han!"

"What? You have enough demons of your own, you don't need mine too." He grimaced in distaste.

"I thought when we got married we promised to share everything…"

"Not this, never this," he grumbled.

She squeezed his arm. "Everything. You never complained when I told you about the death star."

"No, but I didn't trudge through your brain and live the memories, did I?"

"Well, no…but I would have let you."

"Would you? If the situation was reversed and I had the ability you do, would you share that with me?" Han studied her face and noted her hesitation. "Yeah, not so easy, is it?"

"You don't have to let me in," Leia began but he waved her off.

"It's not that."

"Then what?" She asked, and waited for him to meet her gaze.

Han thought, trying to put into words something he could barely explain, even to himself. "I don't want you to see me like that," was all he could manage.

"Because you're vulnerable." He didn't acknowledge her answer but she knew she was right.

"So what else did you find in the old noggin?" He asked, trying to make light of the situation.

"The usual things that a scruffy looking nerfherder would keep in his head."

He snorted at their old banter and took her hand in his and squeezed it.

"But really, Han, all I did was to lessen the edges of your pain. I tried to heal the physical neural paths that he damaged, and I think it went well, it should help relieve the headaches." She gave him a wry grin. "Except for the self-inflicted ones."

"Thanks."

"Well, if we can have a few more sessions I think I can make things more bearable for you. If you will let me?"

He nodded and squeezed her hands. "Okay, sure. Yeah. You know I trust you. But I don't want to talk about it, and I don't want you doing more than glossing over what you see."

"Of course, like before, just enough to take off the hard edges."

"Okay,' Han dropped his gaze again and nodded.

They continued to hold hands in the silence that fell between them, neither wanting to talk about the unavoidable subject which weighed so heavily on them.

"Han…"

"No."

"We need to talk about this."

"No." He took his hand away from Leia's and suddenly gave her a sharp look. "Can you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Use the force, now to see something."

"I suppose so, why?"

"I want to show you something, I want you to understand why even considering this should not be an option…"

"Han…"

"Listen to me, Leia, it's important. You know how little I've shared about my childhood and you've been decent enough to respect that. But you need to see how it is, how gut wrenchingly horrible it is to live in squalor, to have your feet be so cold without shoes that they feel like you are walking on blocks of ice, to not know where your next meal is coming from one day to the next."

Leia was moved by the blatant honesty in his eyes and almost drew away from him as he guided her hand to his temple. "See my memories, Leia, and then tell me we shouldn't bring her home."

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Concentrating, Leia closed her eyes and specifically followed the spot Han had opened in his mind to her, and what she saw broke her heart.  
A gangly young boy with dark hair and familiar hazel eyes watched a dark haired ill-kempt man with wariness as he stood before him. The boy, probably about eight, and tall for his age, kept his hand behind him, fingers twitching as the revolting man regarded him.

"Solo, your take is below our standards. Again."

Sullen, they young boy said nothing, merely waiting for his punishment. His feet were covered in rags, his clothes were ripped and hung on him, and his face and arms were dirty.

"Why aren't you talking, boy?" The strongly built man stepped closer to young Han.

"It's all I could get today," the boy finally said through gritted teeth.

"It's not enough," the man said and backhanded the youth, knocking him to the floor.

The boy drew gathered himself together and stood up, glowering at the older man as he wiped at his broken lip.

"Go out, and finish the job."

"No one's around, it's after hours."

"Not my problem." The disgusting man laughed, and then coughed a sickly sound as he spit on the boy's face. "Go and do your job."

The boy hesitated, his eyes glanced towards the open door and the darkness.

"You aren't afraid of the dark, are you Solo?'

"No, just what's in it."

"You mean the murderer's and vagrants that will take anything you have? The ones that will leave you for dead for something as simple as a piece of bread?"  
"Yeah, them."

The ugly man laughed, spewing mucus about and punched young Han in the ribs, and the boy doubled over. "It's simple, finish your quota, bring the money, and start over tomorrow. Come back without your quota and well…you might want to take your chances with the murderers."

"I'll steal twice as much tomorrow. You know I'm good for it." The boy pleaded.

The disgusting man eyed him skeptically.

"I know I can, people are stupid."

They ugly man wiped his nose on his sleeve and finally nodded. "All right, you steal twice as much tomorrow and I won't beat you."

"But what about what I stole today?" The boy growled.

"Today doesn't count. You start over tomorrow. No food until then."

"But I haven't eaten for two days, you promised…"

"I promised nothing, and you delivered nothing. No food."

The boy shifted the weight between his legs, fury building in him.

"You have something to say?"

"Yeah. You'll be sorry someday 'cause I'll be out of here. I'll be a smuggler and a pilot, I'll never have to deal with scum like you."

"A smuggler?" The man laughed. "You think you're good enough to be a smuggler? Not a chance in the seven hells. You're a good for nothing Corellian gutter bastard who was lucky enough to be taken into a thieves gang. Why would you think you could do anything else?"

"I will, you'll see. Maybe someday I'll save the galaxy."

The men laughed a deep belly laugh. "You? Oh, that's rich. You can't even find you ass. You're pretty though, maybe we can do something with that when you don't bring in enough." He nodded. "There may be another way for you to bring in money."

Young Han tried not to let the fear show in his eyes, he knew exactly what the other man meant, but refused to let him see the apprehension that rippled through him.

Unexpectedly, the man stepped over to Han and cuffed him alongside the head, nearly knocking him out as he stumbled to the floor.

"What was that for?" he looked up from where he had landed, trying not to give in to the darkness.

"To remind you. Never cross me, ever." The ugly man turned away and left the shivering boy to give in to the darkness as unconsciousness claimed him.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Pushed away from the rest of his childhood memories, Leia found herself along with Han back in the real world, gazes locked as many emotions passed between them.

"Han, it's not enough for me to tell you this, but I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For what you had to endure.""

"I never wanted you to know, and only this would make me show you what I was like."

"You don't have to hide anything from me."

"Yes, I do. If you'd seen where I come from, what my beginnings were, why would you be with me? It's bad enough I was a smuggler, but Leia, that was the pinnacle of success from where I was from."

"I can see that now." She paused, trying to figure out how to frame her words. "You know I've never thought any less of you for your life, if anything I've been amazed you've done as much as you have to escape it."

"Yeah, well beating and starvation are great motivators; and I won't even go into the rest of it."

Leia swallowed, reluctant to ask the next question. "What is the rest of it? Were you abused in…other ways?"

Han held up his finger to her face. "That's all you get, and it's too much. I don't know how you can possibly want to be with me now that you know more of who I really am, and the things that shaped me."

"Han, that was a long time ago."

"Don't you get it? It's still who I am." He tapped his chest. "In here. And only this, only the safety of Breha, Ben or you would force me to admit it, to show it to you, when I know it could drive you away from me." His hazel eyes bored into hers. "This kind of life is all too real 'cause I lived it. How can expect me to leave Breha to this? Or Ben? Or you?"

"It was awful," Leia agreed, appalled to have experienced that kind of life though Han on such a personal level.

"And that's putting it nicely. I can't leave her to this, Leia, and now you know why." He stood up and expelled a long breath, when he turned to her his eyes were sad. "I'm going to go and help the squadron with ship repairs."

"You're not coming home?"

"Later."

"For dinner?"

"Yeah, I'll be back by dinner. You'll take care of Ben?"

"Of course, I took the day off."

"Good." He got up off their bed, finished dressing and left their apartment.

88888888888888888888888

It was late, later than he should have been out, Han realized when he finally entered the apartment. It wasn't time for bed, but later than dinner, and he wondered if Leia had saved any for him, and he decided it would serve him right if none was left. He knew he should probably snap out of his consistent state of self-loathing, but ever since Fett he couldn't seem to help it. Nothing he had done in his life seemed more important to him than his daughter and her safety and no matter how he thought about it, he knew he would have to look for her even if Luke and Leia told him not to.

He stood quietly in the kitchen staring out the window and didn't hear the sound of soft footsteps until a small hand touched his arm and brought him back to reality.

"Dad?" Ben's face was scrunched up in concern.

"Hey Ben."

"What's wrong?"

"What d'ya mean?"

"Mom's unhappy and you're unhappy, what's wrong?"

"Maybe you should ask your Mom."

"I did. She didn't answer." Ben stared into his father's hazel eyes. "It's about Bre, isn't it?"

"How do you know? Did you use the force?" Han glared at his son in suspicion.

"No! I don't need to use it all the time. You're just loud!"

"What do you mean I'm loud?" Han touched his chest.

"I don't know…you think loud, you're shields aren't as good as Mom's, but that's not how I figured it out."

"Then how?"

"She's my sister too," Ben gave him a sullen glare.

"Yeah, you're right. Sorry, kid." Han ruffled Ben's hair.

"Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you love me?" Ben tried not to make his question seem too anxious.

"Of course I do. Why would you think anything else?" Han was troubled by the uncertainty in his son's voice.

"You hardly talk to me, or Mom either, we don't do anything anymore, and all you think about is Bre."

Han nodded, as Ben's words sank in and he realized he was failing his son too. "You're right. I've been a terrible Dad to you."

"I didn't say that…exactly."

"I'm sorry. I'll try to do better." He exchanged a long look with Ben and the boy nodded.

"Okay."

"Is it time for bed?"

"Yeah, I guess." Ben turned away from his father and started down the hall when he stopped. "Dad?"

"Yeah, Ben?"

"When you leave, I still want to go with you. To find her."

"Okay, we'll talk about it later."

Satisfied, Ben nodded and left Han alone in the kitchen with his troubled thoughts.

888888888888888888888888888

An hour later, Leia was surprised Han hadn't come to bed yet, so she went out to the den that he often relaxed in and found him on the couch, listlessly staring at the smashball game on the holo. He remained focused on the holo even when she entered the room.

"You didn't come to bed."

"Wasn't sure you wanted me there," he said.

She studied him, saw how tired and on edge he was and for just a moment considered leaving him alone but she knew that wouldn't solve anything, that no matter how difficult it was, they had to have this conversation.

"Can I sit?"

He shrugged, his eyes fixed on the holo as she sat close enough to him so that their thighs were touching, but his eyes never left the screen.

"Han?"

"Leia," he rumbled, still not looking at her.

"We have to talk."

"Do we? Why? It seems we have very different takes of this and this isn't something we can compromise on."

"Tell me what you think."

"You know what I think."

"And I know why, thank you for sharing that with me." She quietly began to lean against him.

"Now you know why I can't do anything else and maybe it's selfish but I don't give a damn, she needs to be here with us"

"Han…"

"Leia, listen to me, even Luke says the future can't be predicted accurately, can't you look at your force vision again?"

Leia bit her lip, uncertain about his request as she watched him.

"To see if you missed something? Maybe if you look more carefully you'll see there are other possibilities."

"Han…"

"I refuse to believe her future with us can only be dark."

Leia considered, he did have a point. She was so distressed with the major future lines that she saw in the force she hadn't taken the time to consider each different possibility as a whole. Nothing she had ever seen was all darkness, or all light so why should this be any different?

"All right, let me try."

Han gently dropped his arm around her and she let a small smile spread across her face. "Does this bother you?"

"No, but be quiet."

"Oh yeah, right."

She concentrated and let the force flow around her, let her become part of it and let it become part of her. She calmed herself knowing this was the best way to see clearly, to understand what she was shown. She felt the warm comforting presence of Han beside her, so bright in her life that she had to filter his presence out so that it didn't interfere with what she was searching for. She felt Ben, restless in his sleep and saw his dreams were tinged with a darkness, no doubt having another nightmare, but they would deal with that soon enough.

She reached for Breha in the force, reached for the futures she could have and found herself back to the one in which they brought her home, and though the dark possibilities pulsed strongly, she did see a few golden strands that trailed brightly into the distance, there were futures with them that remained positive and bright. Then she reached for the future where Breha stayed away from them and grew into an adult without them, and she gasped. Luke was right, she was so strong and so bright with light of the force it was overwhelming, but when she searched more closely, she saw there were also the possibilities of things growing dark as lesser defined strands pulsed with a familiar red glow. With a last memory for the brightness but not the face of her grown daughter, she left the future alone and returned to the present and the light beside her that belonged to Han.

She blinked for a few moments and took a deep breath.

"Well?" He asked and swallowed several times. "What'd you see?"

She reached out her hand and laid it on his arm and squeezed it. When she looked at him there were tears in her eyes. She nodded.

"What does that mean?"

"It means you're right, Hotshot. There are other possibilities, but," she raised a hand and placed it against his chest, "the original visions I saw are still the strongest; if we leave her she grows up and is remarkable, she glows with the strength of the force."

"And if we bring her home?"

"The strongest indications are still dark."

"But?"

"But there are positive alternatives."

Han leaned back against the sofa with a deep sigh of relief. "I told you, Leia, I told you."

"It doesn't necessarily change anything."

"It changes everything."

She saw the excitement in his eyes and despite her misgivings felt herself following along in his enthusiasm, because in her heart she wanted Breha back too. "She's much more likely to do well if we don't bring her home, you know that, right?"

"Yeah, I know. Don't think I haven't thought about all of this, 'cause I really have. But I think she'll do better with us than anywhere else, and what you see probably isn't wrong, but it's not set in stone either. I think she'll shine brightly no matter where she is." His hazel eyes were dark with emotion and she found she couldn't disagree.

"Han?"

"When we find her, Leia, she has to come home."

She searched his eyes again and felt his love for Breha covering her with its warmth and was once again amazed at the depth of this man, and how little anyone else knew about him. Slowly, she nodded her agreement. "Yes, she should come home. And we'll deal with it all together, as a family."

Han yipped in delight and squeezed her so tight she thought she would break, but too happy to deter his actions she settled back against him, relieved to give in to what she really wanted, to have the knowledge that a good future was possible for Breha no matter which decision they made. Content to be in Han's arms with a sense of peace between them once again, surrounded by his love, she forgot about Ben's nightmare and the darkness that was touching her son.

8888888888888888888888888888888

 _Ben, Ben,_ the voice whispered through the fog.

Some part of Ben's mind tried to anchor him to the bed he slept in, to the room in the apartment where he lived with his parents that loved him, but the voice was unrelenting.

 _Ben, hear me._

 _Who are you?_ Dream Ben watched the area around him and saw the fog start to lift and he found himself younger, playing on the ground with tie fighters. Something told him to look around again but he saw no one so he continued to play with his toys.

This was one of his favorite memories because he loved the story of how his Dad and Uncle Luke saved the galaxy from the Empire and Darth Vadar, his favorite part was when his Dad swooped in with the Falcon to save the day and clear the path for Uncle Luke to blow up the death star.

 _What are you playing?_ asked the voice and Ben suddenly recognized his friend.

 _Snoke?_

 _Yes. What are you playing?_

 _How my Dad saved the galaxy from the death star by saving Uncle Luke._

 _He helped to kill Darth Vadar_

 _I know._ Ben said, proud of the fact.

 _Do you know who Darth Vadar was?_

 _Evil. He did awful things.  
He was your grandfather._

Ben stared into space, hoping to see Snoke.

 _No, he's not. Bail Organa and Anakin Skywalker are my grandfathers._

 _It was Darth Vadar._

 _But my parents would tell me._

 _They lied to you, and about other things too._

 _No._

 _Yes. They lie, they don't want to tell you the truth. Like the fact they don't love you._

 _They do love me,_ Ben insisted stubbornly.

 _They love your sister more._

The seed of doubt Snoke had planted some time ago grew deeper in Ben's mind, and he stopped to consider Snoke's words, finally shaking his head.

 _Are they telling you what's going on? Do they include you in their conversations with them?_

 _I'm not an adult yet,_ he said, but his expression was troubled.

 _But she's your sister, don't you deserve to know?_

Ben nodded. Breha was his sister and he loved her, _why didn't they tell him what was going on? Maybe they did love her more than they loved him? Was it possible?_

 _It's true, they love her more, the voice said in his head. And now that she's been taken away, you'll be next._

 _No, they won't do that, they want her back._

 _But your father lost her._

 _He was taken and tortured!_

 _Yes, by this man, he hates your father._ Images of Boba Fett coolly bringing the whip down across Han's already bloody back swam across Ben's mind and he found himself turning away. _See what he's done, see how he enjoys it?_

 _Make it stop!_

 _Boba Fett wants him to suffer – do you see?  
I don't want to see!_ Ben cried as the skin began to melt off Han's back as he lapsed into unconsciousness But Fett laughed, and laughed, and laughed.

 _Do you feel anger?_

 _Yes!_

 _Hatred? Look again at what he's done to your father._

Ben couldn't help himself and looked at the bruised, bloody mess that his father had become. _Dad?_ he whispered reaching out a hand towards him.

 _See how weak he is? How else could all of this have happened?_

 _No, it's not true!_ Ben shouted at the air around him.

 _He is weak, too weak to protect your sister, your mother, or you. How does he inspire such hatred in others?_

 _No, he loves me,_ Ben insisted, tears streaking down his face.

 _He doesn't, neither of them do. You're a burden and when the time is right they will get rid of you too._

 _I don't believe you!_

 _You'll see, Ben. You'll see…_ the voice faded into nothingness and the fog descended on him again, leaving him on the ground, shaking with a flood of emotions that he didn't know how to sort or control.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty**

The bar was casual but not seedy, and it had a wide selection of good food and drinks. Han and Leia set in a private booth where they would not be disturbed, his arm draped casually around Leia's shoulders. Drinks set before them, as they waited for Luke to join them.

Though uneasy, the tension between them had eased with their mutual decision about Breha's future. Leia was a bit more uncertain about the decision, probably because she saw the force visions so strongly, but in truth she wanted her baby girl back and was also willing to do anything to save her, just as Han was.

She squeezed his arm and nodded as he tightened his hold on her shoulders, settling for wordless reassurances as they sipped their drinks.

When Luke entered the bar, he stopped to get a drink and then made his way over to where Han and Leia were sitting. He studied their faces as he took a seat opposite them and was a bit surprised to see they had somehow achieved a measure of peace and he wondered what that meant for the conversation they were about to have.

"Leia, Han," he nodded.

"Luke," Han grunted and watched him with guarded eyes.

"So? What do you want to talk about?" Luke asked, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

"You know damn well what we want to talk about. Breha."

"Han," Leia squeezed his arm. "Luke isn't the enemy."

He grimaced at her and Luke. "You're right, sorry Kid."

"No offense taken. I know how hard this discussion has been for the two of you."

Han and Leia exchanged a look and some sort of communication passed between them that Luke wasn't privy to, and again he wondered how that was possible without Han being force sensitive. Maybe it was as simple as Han always said, the two of them just knew each other so well.

They both turned back to Luke but by their silent agreement, Leia was the one to speak.

"We've given this situation a thorough examination, looked at it from what we want and what the force has shown to us and have arrived at a decision we both agree is the best for us and Breha."

Luke expelled a breath, relieved. "Thank the Gods. I'm glad you saw reason, it's the right thing to do."

"Just what do you think we've decided, Luke?" Han drawled, a hard edge of anger in his voice.

Confused, Luke regarded the two of them. "The only real choice there is, you're going to let her grow up away from you so that she can come back to you as an adult, safe and sound, and strong in the force."

Leia met her brother's eyes and slowly shook her head. "No, Luke, that's not how it will be. When she's found we want her back. We will raise her as we're supposed to do, she will be loved and grow up safe and sound but with us."

"But after what you saw…"

"I studied them again and I saw those options weren't the only ones, both have paths that lead to the light and the dark."

"Yes, but…"

"No discussion, Luke. This is what we want," Han agreed in a voice that brooked no arguments.

"Han," Leia reprimanded him softly.

"What? It's true." Han stared back to his wife.

Luke sat back, stunned by their choice. He almost glared at them as he again reviewed the possibilities he saw, that he felt within him. "This is wrong. Leia," he said appealing to his sister, "this is wrong. Seek out the force, feel what it shows you."

"I have, Luke. Han urged me to check again and I saw this would be all right, that it can be all right. We just have to be very careful."

"Never, ever dating," Han muttered in Leia's ear and she almost smiled.

"You can't be careful enough, you have no way of knowing what will bring the darkness."

"Or the light. Luke, please understand. Breha is our daughter and we love her and want her home with us, and we are willing to do anything to achieve that. All parents face this."

"But usually on a smaller scale," Han grunted. "They worry about drugs and gangs, we have to worry about the light and the dark and the fate of the galaxy because of our kids."

Luke regarded them with a somber gaze. "What if having her with you is not enough?"

"And what if something happens to her, out there? We'll have no way to help her," Leia said.

The three of them stared at each other, a long uncomfortable silence falling between them.

"I think you're wrong," Luke finally said, still protesting their decision.

"And it doesn't change a damn thing. When we find her we're taking her back. That's it." Han stated as he glared at Luke.

Luke clenched his jaw so hard that his teeth hurt and he stared into Leia's eyes.

 _Leia, you can't do this! You've seen what I've seen, she must be left alone to grow up strong and safe._

 _My force vision has shown me more; we can have her back and she can have a happy future with us. Why aren't you happy for us?_ Leia cocked her head and looked at him.

 _Because I feel it so strongly._

 _So do I. So does Han._

 _Han doesn't know anything about the force._

 _He knows as much as any non-force user can considering how long he's been around the two of us, wouldn't you agree? And he can see my visions when I share them with him._

 _Leia, trust me with this, please._

 _Are you trying to make me choose between you and Han? He's her father._

 _But I know he force._

"What are you two doin'?" Han said interrupting their private conversation.

"Talking," Leia said in a neutral voice. "Luke was just telling me he had a promising lead, weren't you, Luke?"

"Yes." He frowned at Leia.

"A lead? On Breha? Really?" Han's face lit up with love and relief, and a surge of emotion escaped him. Luke gave Han a strange look and then looked back at Leia who shrugged.

 _I know. I haven't figured it out either. He emotes well._

Leia squeezed her husband's forearm and gave him a fond look.

"What? I want to get her back. Where is she, Luke? I'll go with you, just tell me when and where."

"I can't, Han. I have contacts that will only speak to me. I have to go alone."

"Oh, umm, okay." Han's face was crestfallen. "But you'll tell us as soon as you know something?"

Luke gave them both a slow nod. "Of course."

"Luke, thanks!" Han got up and pulled Luke out of the booth, encompassing him in a grateful hug. After a few moments he let him go. "I owe you big time for this."

Luke couldn't help it, he laughed at his friend's enthusiasm and gratitude. "It's okay, Han. But you need to wait until I find something concrete."

"Okay, then, okay." Han shuffled his feet restlessly and both of the men watched as Leia got out of the booth and walked over to them, hugging them both.

Then she turned to face Luke _. Find her, Luke and bring her home to us. Do the right thing._

 _I promise you, Leia. I will do the right thing, I can't do anything else._

Leia searched his eyes, his surface feelings, but couldn't feel anything as he had his shields up. She gave him a slow nod and a quick peck on his cheek, but as she took Han's arm as he escorted her out of the bar, she couldn't shake her feeling of unease, and misgiving about her brother and his intentions.

88888888888888888888888888888888

After they had left, Luke spent a long time nursing his drink and thinking. Normally he would find a quiet place to meditate, but once in a while he needed to be just Luke, and not the last Jedi in the galaxy. So he worked on his drink, letting his thoughts wander as he tried to make sense of what Han and Leia had told him.

He understood their decision, really he did. _They were her parents and they loved her, but,_ he wondered, _did they love her too much? Were they unable to see the greater good because they were so focused on their own needs?_

He sighed. He could hardly blame them if it were true. He knew how much Han and Leia had given to the galaxy, how they had struggled to achieve the victories that ultimately helped everyone, sacrificing their own happiness along the way. And now, they had finally found a measure of happiness and something resembling a normal domestic life, at least as normal as anything could ever be for the two of them, he tried hard not to find fault with their reasoning.

But he was unsettled, once again it seemed the future of the galaxy had been placed in his hands through the knowledge of his niece's capabilities and the future he believed for her to be true. Just as Han and Leia believed they could bring her home and navigate the treacherous waters of the future to keep her safe, he firmly believed the visions he saw, that bringing her home now would lead to a dark future for her, and ultimately, the galaxy.

Luke put his fingers up and ordered another drink from a passing waitress.

He was certain he would find her, _but what then? Did he follow the wishes of her parents, part of his family, the ones who had the right to decide her future? Or did he follow his strong feeling, his gut instinct, as Han would call it and leave her lost so that her family didn't know where she was? The greater good,_ Luke reminded himself and wondered how he could possibly deal with the fallout of telling that to his family, and how could he shut Leia and Han out of his life? _But what choice did he have?_

With a weary sigh, Luke downed his drink in one gulp.

 _Why had he ever wanted to be a Jedi?_

8888888888888888888888888888888

Two weeks later Luke had left to search for Breha, and Han and Leia had eased into a somewhat relaxed and normal routine as a family.

The one unpleasant event that loomed forebodingly on the horizon was the sentencing of Boba Fett. He had been found guilty numerous degrees of assault, kidnapping, and attempted murder of both Han and Chewbacca. During Han's testimony at the trial Han held himself together in a way Leia, quite honestly, didn't think he could do, not doubt because he was determined to see the man sent to prison for the rest of his life. The jury deliberation at the trial was quick, and Boba Fett was found guilty on all counts; the sentencing for Fett would be life imprisonment or the Republic's first death sentence. There was no need for Han to attend the sentencing but he insisted on seeing the outcome of the trial.

Much to her surprise Leia woke up late, sleeping better than she had in weeks. She turned on her side to snuggle into her husband but found his side of the bed was empty, which was unusual as Han was always the one trying to get her to, among other things. sleep in late.

She stretched, yawned and gently reached for him with her mind and found him alert and wide awake somewhere in the house. She could feel touches of his anxiety and anger from where she lie in bed, and knew he was in for a difficult day.

She put on her robe and made her way to the kitchen where she saw Han, sitting in their nook table, sipping kaf, and reading from a data pad. She was surprised by the picture of serenity that he presented when she knew how agitated he really was.

"Kaf is ready," he said without looking up from his data pad.

She poured herself a cup, and took a seat across from him, running her hands through his hair as she walked by, and she caught the crooked smile he tried to hide. She sat down across from him, set her cup on the table and raising her legs, put her feet onto his lap.

"Princess?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

"My feet are cold," she said.

"And I'm supposed to warm them up?"

"You're so good at it," she dropped her eyes and regarded him with a demure smile.

"I'm good at a few other things too."

"Yes, you are. And if you hadn't gotten up early you could have reminded me of exactly what you're good at."

He gave her a quick smile, and looked back to his data pad.

"What are you reading?" She said, slightly annoyed that he wasn't paying more attention to her.

"All of the crap about the trial." He all but growled. "Some people that think Fett's behavior should be excused, and want the death penalty lifted."

"Some people adamantly oppose that kind of sentence."

"They don't understand why it's important! That he'll only go out and kill again."

Leia paused and sat up straight, considering her words. "You're right. Very few people…experience the kind of monster he is and they have no reference point. They don't understand the torture he inflicted on you and Chewie."

Han tried not to but he flinched at the memory, and she saw his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed hard, several times.

Leia reached across the table and placed her hand on his and was pleased when he didn't pull away. She waited patiently until he met her gaze. "I'll be with you."

"You don't have to, I know you have a busy schedule this week."

"Han, I'll be there. This bastard almost killed you. And this may surprise you," here she expelled a deep breath, "but I hope he gets the death penalty too."

"You do?" Han was genuinely surprised. "What about your generally pacifist outlook?"

"There are some monsters that should pay for the atrocities they commit on people no matter what my general outlook may be, and he's one of them." Her voice was filled with compressed fury.

"Princess?" Han studied the anger he saw in her face.

"I thought I had lost you. He shouldn't be free to cause anyone that kind of grief."

"And Bre…"

She squeezed his hand. "Somehow everything will work out."

He gave her a searching glance.

"I feel it."

He nodded.

They stared at each other in silence for a few moments.

"We can stay here, watch the holo," she tried again.

"No! I need to see what happens to that bastard in person."

She stood up, walked over to him, and dropped her arms around his neck and then hugged him.

"Thanks." He stood up, and stepped away from the table to face her, worry lines marring his handsome face. "We need to make sure Ben has a place to be, I don't want him there."

Leia sighed. "He wants to go."

"Why?"

"He wants to see the awful man that hurt you. He wants to see him be punished."

"I don't want Ben near Fett."

"We'll have to talk to him this morning. Are you feeling up to it?"

Han nodded and stood up. "Sure, let's go."

"Hotshot, he's not up yet. Let him wake up before we have this discussion."

"You're right."

Leia stepped close and wrapped her arms around her husband, holding him tight. "I'll always be there for you, you know," she murmured against his back.

"I know, and I'm grateful," he said and turned her around to face him. He stared into her eyes and bent down to kiss her, a sweet kiss filled with the love he had for her.

"Come on, Captain." Leia took his hand once again and began to lead him down the hallway.

"Leia?"

"Ben won't be up for a couple of hours yet and we haven't had much adult time." She stopped and cocked an eyebrow at him, and dropped his hand. "That is, if you're interested," she said with a coy smile as sauntered away from him and down the hall.

He watched her for about five seconds before he decided he was indeed interested and who was he to cheat the Princess out of his husbandly duties. He made sure to shut and lock the door behind him.


	21. Chapter 21

_AN: Thanks for reading – I appreciate the reviews!_

 **Chapter Twenty One**

The sentencing of Boba Fett was a widely covered event due to Han's notoriety within the New Republic and the sentencing part of things should have only warranted a short spot on most holo clips but because it was Han Solo who was married to the last Princess of Alderaan, and because one of their children was still missing due to the machinations of the now famous bounty hunter, even the sentencing part of the trial was big news.

Ben had somehow convinced his parents that he was old enough to see the sentencing, he wanted to see the man who had hurt his family so and see how justice was served, and after extended conversation, his parents had finally agreed. In turn Ben agreed to observe silently and follow the lead of his parents.

Boba Fett locked gazes with Han as the sentence was read and he received life imprisonment. A tight lipped, furious Han Solo's gaze never wavered as the bounty hunter laughed at him. While Fett was waiting to be escorted out of the room, Han left, mumbling something about the fresher. Ben grabbed his hand and followed along, as did the security detail that had been assigned to them; half of them split with Han and Ben, while the other half stayed with Leia, who, with her icy demeanor intact, went to speak with the judge.

Ben finished first in the public fresher and after washing his hands slipped out of the side door instead of the main one to wait for his father. He was surprised to see Boba Fett being escorted to the exact door Ben had just come out of, apparently even lifelong criminals had to use the fresher.

88888888888888888888888888888888

It was the first time Ben had seen the man up close, so he studied him, trying to find out what had driven him to perform such heinous acts. He saw he was just a man; a man a bit older than his father, greying at the temples, with cold blue eyes, and a thin, rather refined face. He was surprised by this because he had somehow expected to see a monster instead of a normal looking man.

Fett sensed his gaze, his curiosity, because he stopped in his tracks and looked at the boy. Ben knew that Fett was aware he was Han Solo's son, but Ben found he couldn't turn away, something about this man fascinated him, and without thinking he reached out to touch this man's mind. _How this man could hurt his father so? How this horrible man could have taken his beloved sister from all of them? What could he possibly gain from such hideous acts?_

Fett cocked his head and Ben felt him open his mind, as if he had been touched by a force user before.

 _Ahh, little one, you are strong._

 _Why did you do it? Why did you hurt my father?_

 _Because it felt good!_ Fett closed his eyes and showed Ben a particularly fond memory of flaying Han's back until unable to control himself, the smuggler cried out in pain his scream echoing throughout the empty room. The satisfaction from his actions warmed Fett's very soul.

Ben swallowed as just for a moment he understood the feeling, understood why Fett believed he was justified in hurting Han, and why the revenge he took on his father was so sweet to him. Horrified at the thought of having any sympathy for this monster, he backed away from him into a wall, regarding him with large, scared eyes.

 _You're like him, like Vadar,_ Fett's mind insisted, as Ben had forgotten to sever the link _. Think of all the power you could have. I know you feel it coursing through you, I can see it in your eyes._

"No! He was a monster! I'm not a monster!" Ben shrieked at him.

"Little Lord Vadar," Fett nodded in satisfaction, "I can't wait to see what you become…"

"No! I'm Ben! Ben!" He shrieked and closed his eyes shaken by the images he was picking up from Boba Fett; images of needles injecting drugs in his father's arms; the heat grid, and endless beatings… "No! Dad! Dad!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, his body trembling as the bounty hunter laughed at him.

"Ben? Ben? Where are you?" Han's frantic voice called through the crowd.

"Dad! I'm here!" Ben called, backing away from Fett, and kneeling into a position next to the wall, trying to make himself as small as possible, shaking as he tried to push away the images of his father's pain.

Han saw his son terrified, screeching for him as he shivered in a corner and immediately surmised what had happened from the smug laughter coming from Fett's mouth. He did what any good father would he punched Fett in the face as hard as he could. Still bound by cuffs, Boba Fett fell to the floor, and Han was on him; pummeling him for Ben, for Breha, for all the rage and helplessness he had been subjected to at the hands of the sadistic bastard.

 _Mom! Mom_! He called to her through the force in panic, and felt her make her way to him from wherever she had been.

He pressed himself against the wall, fear clutching at him as he watched the local law enforcement and their own security personnel try to pull Han off the bounty hunter, but Han was determined, and it took five men to pull him away from Fett, and get Fett to his feet.

"If you ever come near my family again, I'll kill you! You fucking bastard!"

Though his face was bloody and bruised and he clutched his side, Fett looked at Han and laughed.

Han twisted within the grasp of the men that held him and almost managed to get away.

"Solo," Fett spit out something that appeared to be a tooth, and he regarded Han with disdain. "You'll never be nothing but a low-life criminal no matter how many titles they give you."

The security men made the mistake of loosening their grip on Han as it seemed except for his words he had calmed down, but he broke from them again and grabbed Fett by the collar and slammed him up against the wall.

"I'm only going to ask once. Where is my daughter?"

Fett laughed and grinned at Han. "I don't know. Jasper never came back to tell me."

Han slammed his head against the wall again. "You have to have some idea."

"Why don't you ask little Lord Vadar?" Fett rasped, fighting to remain conscious. "He knows I'm telling the truth."

Ben felt himself shaking as he tried to shut down the connection to the bounty hunter, but Fett pushed at him, challenging his mind.

 _Let go of your erroneous beliefs, little one. Accept who you are, let him out…_

 _Let who out? What was he talking about?_ Ben blinked in panic and whimpered as he cut the mental connection to the older man and force hurled him against the wall.

"Leave him alone!" Issuing another growl of rage at his tormentor, Han picked up Fett just as he was recovering from Ben's treatment of him, and slammed the bounty hunter against the wall again. The security guards finally peeled Han away from Fett as the man slumped against the wall unconscious.

It was at that moment Leia finally managed to get through the crowd and saw the end of Han's tirade which resulted in a bloody and unconscious Boba Fett.

"Don't you ever come near my family again!" Han screamed in rage as the security guards restrained him and the other law officers escorted Fett out of the building.

Leia rushed to Ben's side knowing something was seriously wrong as he lie against the wall whimpering as if he had been broken. Gently she touched his mind and felt the fear, panic and pain that ran in currents through his conscious mind; trauma that he couldn't control. Leia concentrated, worked to calm him and to slow the currents of volatile emotion that he was experiencing. After a couple of minutes he blinked at her finally becoming aware of her presence. He threw herself in her arms, unwanted tears escaping his eyes, and he clung to her tightly, shaking, burying his face against her dress. In another moment Han was at their side and pulling Ben into his arms.

"Ben? Ben, are you all right?"

Tears in his eyes, he looked into his father's face and shook his head, but he didn't know what to feel for his father in that moment. Should he be afraid of his father's violence? Or proud that his father protected him so?

Han gently wiped the tears away from Ben's face in a tender caress, and Ben felt the strength of Han's love and fear for him as he searched his father's dark hazel eyes. He was relieved to see he had calmed down, but he felt a small ripple of pain in the force from his father and knew something was wrong.

 _Mom! Mom! Mom!_ He shouted at her through the force as Han suddenly went grey, started gulping for air and collapsed on the floor. He felt his mother's panic for a moment before she slammed down her shields to protect him from her intense feelings. Still traumatized and clinging to his mother's hand, he heard Leia start to issue orders that had them out of the building and in an ambulance before he knew what was happening.

8888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

When Ben awoke he was confused. The room was white and he heard something dripping, and there were all the strange sounds, hospital sounds. _Hospital sounds!_ He bolted upright, panicked as a slew of images began to rush through his conscious mind. _Boba Fett laughed at him, called him Little Lord Vadar!_ His father in a rage attacked the other man, hatred and anger pouring off of him, Boba Fett insisted he was bad, like Vadar; so bad that he could do things like hurt his father…

Ben whimpered in pain, his cascading emotions threatening to overwhelm him but he gradually became aware of a calming presence and realized it was his mother.

"Mom?" He opened his eyes and saw Leia by his side, standing over him, comforting hand on his chest.

"I'm here, Ben."

"What happened? Why am I here? In a hospital?" He saw the white walls and having spent enough time there with his father, he knew a hospital when he saw one.

"You're here because you need to be here."

"I do? Why?" Ben suddenly remembered the last time he had seen Han and his collapse and he tried to push himself out of bed but Leia's hand gently kept him in place. "Dad?"

"Is fine. I saw him just a little while ago."

"What happened?"

"It seems your father managed to injure himself again during his…in his efforts to protect you. He reinjured one of his broken ribs and had a partially collapsed lung." She sighed in resignation and gave Ben a resigned smile. "He just got out of surgery and is still out. But the doctors say it is minor in the grand scheme of his injuries and expect he will be released and home within the week."

"That's good," Ben laid back against the pillow, allowing a sigh of relief to escape him. "Why am I here?"

Leia bit her lip for just a moment and Ben felt her working to calm herself. "You remember all those images you saw, all of those emotions you felt?"

Ben nodded.

"They flooded your mind, they caused you to …they were too much for your mind because you are still young."

"Mom?" He prodded. He knew when his mother was trying to be diplomatic and like his father preferred to be given the truth directly. "What's wrong with me?"

"You've had a mental breakdown."

Ben had a moment of panic as he tried to decipher what that meant but in the end, he took a few deep breaths and calmed himself as Leia had taught him at an early age after his nightmares. Then he opened his eyes and regarded his mother calmly. "Again?"

The sadness in her eyes couldn't be hidden and she nodded.

"I'm sorry, Ben."

"Why are you sorry? It's me, it's not you." He paused for a moment. "Will I have to be in the Care Facility again?"

"Yeah, honey, you will. The professionals need to be with you and try to understand why this happened."

"You mean why it happened again," Ben said in a glum voice. "Will I have to live with this?"

"Maybe?" Leia regarded her son with a calm expression but he could sense the emotion behind her shields. "They're the best doctors around and they can help you. I'll make sure they do."

"Thanks, Mom."

A long, awkward silence ensued.

"Why did this happen to me, Mom?"

"This time? Or in general?"

"Both." Ben's gaze was earnest, he really wanted to understand.

"I'm not completely sure, Ben, I'm not a doctor. Why do you think this time happened?"

Ben sat up in bed and scrunched his face in concentration and after a couple of minutes turned to his Mom. "Maybe because of what happened with Dad? And with the bounty hunter?" He nodded. "I think that's it." He paused and gave him mother a worried look. "I could hear him, Mom?"

"Who? Han?"

"No, Fett. I could hear Boba Fett talk to me…in my head."

Leia regarded him in disbelief. "How is that possible?"

"I don't know but he did! Then he called me Little Lord Vadar!"

Leia had missed the exchange and she blanched at her son's words.

"I'm not him, Mom. I'm not like him."

"Oh, Ben! Of course you're not."

Leia stood up and pulled Ben to her in a comforting hug, and content, he stayed there for a minute until he pulled away from her.

"He said I have power like he did, that I could be strong like he was."

Leia studied her Ben for a long moment before she spoke. "You think Vadar was strong?"

"He was strong, the force made him strong."

"There are different kinds of strength, Ben." She paused. "Your father is very strong."

Ben grimaced in distaste.

"What's that look for?"

"I dunno." Ben shrugged. "He just doesn't seem strong to me. He's always getting hurt, he lost Breha. How strong is that?" She heard the pain in her son's voice and had to think about how to best answer him.

"How many men could recover from what your father has gone through?"

Ben thought for a moment before he answered. "Not many."

Leia nodded. "How many men would protect their families so fiercely?"

"Probably not many."

"Ben, trust me when I tell you your father is a strong man. Much stronger than Vadar ever could be."

Ben snorted in disbelief. "How can you say that? Vadar had the force and all of its power, and Dad is just, well…Dad."

"Vadar couldn't resist the temptation of the dark side. Your father has."

"Dad's not a jedi so he wouldn't know."

"Hmm, maybe it's time we share some of your Dad's background." Leia paced back and forth for a bit before stopping in front of Ben once again. "Your Dad was a smuggler."

"I know."

"He dealt with unsavory people, the underworld on a regular basis. In order to survive that and live you have to be good at what you do, and he was."

"He has underworld connections?" Ben asked in an excited voice.

"He did, but I'm not sure he has them anymore."

"Why not?"

"Because he resisted the dark side of things, because he was strong enough to walk away and embrace the light. He couldn't hide the good man that he is."

Ben sighed and Leia could see he was thinking about things. "So you decide what you will become? Everyone has to decide that for themselves?"

"Yes, that's how it works."

"Dad decided to be good."

Leia gave him a genuine heartfelt smile. "Yes, he always was, but he finally let everyone else know it too."

"That means you can be a better person if you want to be? You can accomplish great things?"

Leia nodded. "My darling son, you can be amazing if you but try."

"Mom, can I ask you something?"

"Of course, anything."

Ben sat back in his chair and frowned, his face a mask of concentration. "Dad got really mad at Boba Fett. He scared me."

"Tell me why."

"He was so angry, I think he wanted to kill him."

Leia sighed as she studied her son's earnest face and wondered how best to discuss this weighty issue with him. There was no doubt Han had lost his temper and his control in a way that Leia had never witnessed before, but she knew that in his mind he was defending his family.

"Your Dad saw you were scared by Boba Fett and he was trying to protect you." She paused considering her words carefully. "Your Dad was put in a helpless position, and there was nothing he could do to protect Breha, or himself and it frustrated him and made him feel helpless."

"That made him angry?"

"Yeah, Ben. Your Dad is used to taking care of us and himself. It's hard for him not too."

"Okay, I get it, but I've never seen him so mad. He wanted to kill Boba Fett. Isn't that wrong?"

"Yes, Ben it is. But had Fett not attempted to kill your Dad, he wouldn't have tried to kill him," Leia tried to explain but realized how bad her explanation must sound to her son, and she tried to come up with a better way to explain things. Trouble was her words weren't eloquent whenever Han was involved, she was far too close to her family to use the trappings of her office with them.

"Does that mean it's okay to seek revenge? That's what Boba Fett thought too. He thought it was okay to kill Dad because he blamed him for ruining his life."

"Murder is never all right, Ben. Neither is revenge," her voice drifted off as she remembered her emotions when she had Fett at her mercy in the warehouse in which they had found him. She had wanted to take her revenge out on him for what he had done to Han, but she dismissed those thought and turned back to Ben. "I'm sorry if I let you believe anything else. Your Dad wouldn't want you to think that either."

"But Mom, I felt it."

"Felt what?"

"Through Fett, I felt what it was like for him to torture Dad…and to like it…"

"Oh, Ben," Leia said, and seeking to calm her son's turbulent emotions, she sat on the bed next to him and pulled him into a hug. Finding comfort in her embraced he let himself relax against her as he

tried to make sense of everything that had happened today, but he was unable to shake the feeling of satisfaction at how it felt to hurt someone, the feeling that Fett had left to him.

88888888888888888888888888888888888888

 _The scene was fuzzy, or maybe the drugs made the dreams seem fuzzy,_ Ben thought as he slipped into his dream. He could feel the edges of darkness within the dream but so far, they weren't enough to be a nightmare and that made him feel better.

 _Ben. Welcome back,_ the voice said to him.

 _Snoke?_

 _Yes, Snoke._

 _Why am I here?_

 _You have need of me._

 _I don't. I'm fine. Just let me sleep._

 _I can't. There is someone here you must meet._

 _But I haven't even met you._

 _It is more important you meet this man, rather than me. Snoke paused. You are related to him._

Ben thought about it for a moment and couldn't imagine who Snoke was talking about because his family was waiting for him in the hospital.

 _You don't know, do you?_

 _No. I know where my family is and it's not here._

 _Not all of your family, Ben._ The darkness around him lit up the same time he heard the breathing apparatus and he regarded the gleaming black life suit of Darth Vadar.

 _No!_ Ben cringed in the darkness and turned to run away but no matter where he ran to he ended up in front of the gleaming black suit, and hideous breathing apparatus.

 _Stop running, Ben,_ Snoke soothed. _He isn't here to hurt you._

 _But it's Darth Vadar! He's evil!_

The black suit chuckled at the boy's words.

 _Evil is a perspective, Ben. I had a purpose. A purpose which was stopped with my death._

Ben paused, and decided to stay where he was standing.

 _I'm listening,_ he thought at Vadar, his tone edged with uncertainty.

 _I wanted to make the galaxy strong again, I wanted to make it better._

 _How? How could you do that when you killed and tortured people?_

 _It was regrettable but necessary. The consolidation of power is always difficult._

 _Why are you talking to me?_

 _You are my grandson._

Ben wasn't at all sure how he felt about that statement at the so he remained silent.

 _You have my power. You can follow in my footsteps and make the galaxy a better place._

 _I won't be evil._

 _You only have to be strong,_ Vadar intoned.

 _That will let me bring peace to the galaxy?_

 _Yes, grandson, I believe you can._ He paused and the gleaming black mask cocked his head at the boy. _You must want that? Peace in the galaxy? A chance to make it a better place?_

 _I don't know. Something's not right,_ Ben could feel a tingling in his body that made him uneasy, he felt it was the force alerting him to some sort of danger.

Do you believe I'm your grandfather?

I know that you are but you feel funny, not quite right. Ben studied the impressive figure.

 _You only have to follow Supreme Leader Snoke. He will put you on the correct path to take my place in the galaxy._

 _You're wrong! Mom and Dad said so!_

 _Do not follow blindly, young one, Snoke insisted. Listen to your heart, listen to your grandfather._

 _No!_ Ben turned away from Vadar and the voice and the sound of their voices began to fade.

 _Listen to the force, Ben. Listen to the power that runs through you, you can have it all…_ Snoke whispered as the sound of his voice faded away and Ben fell back into a restless sleep.

888888888888888888888888888888888

When Ben next woke up he was surprised to discover his father was sitting in a chair beside his bed. He was in a patient gown and had a portable device in his lap, tubes connected to this device and to Han, obviously pumping medicine into his father's beleaguered body.

"Ben? Hey bud, how're you doin'?"

"Dad. What are you doing here?" Ben yawned. "It looks like you still need to be in the hospital too."

"Me, nah, I'm fine," he said but his ashen exterior belied his cheerful words.

"You're supposed to be in a hospital bed, aren't you?" Ben scowled at his father. "How are you going to get well if you don't listen?"

Han gave Ben a perplexed look and laughed. "You sound just like your mother."

"You know she'll be mad at you."

"That's why you're not goin' to tell her. Okay?"

Ben shook his head and grinned at his father; it was comforting somehow to know that despite everything he was still the same man, he was still his Dad.

"Okay. She'll find out anyway, you know."

"Not if you don't tell her!" Han stressed again.

"How did you get out?" Ben was genuinely curious.

"I'm just good at being devious. Let it go at that."

"You escaped," Ben said in an exasperated voice.

"Yeah, for a bit. Just until they figure it out and hustle me back."

"Dad, you had surgery. You shouldn't be up."

Han sucked in a breath and winced as he leaned back against the chair. "You just might be right." He wiped a sheen of sweat from his brow as he regarded Ban. "I had to know you were okay."

"I had a mental break again." Ben was crestfallen. "I don't know how to be strong."

"Hey! That's not true, you're very strong."

"No," he sighed. "I'm not." He looked over at Han. "How do you do it, Dad? How do you keep going?"

Han closed his eyes and hissed in pain as a wave of nausea overcame him. He swallowed and gathered himself together knowing it wouldn't be long before he was taken back to his room. He grimaced but gave his son a loving smile, as he suddenly felt Leia's surge of panic, and then anger as she mentally found Han and his current location.

"'Cause I have to. I have people I love that I have to take care of. You, and your Mom."

"And Bre."

"And Bre," a shadow crossed Han's face at the mention of his daughter's name. "We'll talk later, Ben, okay? But hang in, cause you're strong and I believe in you, and I love you. I always will."

Ben nodded and felt the glimmer of reassurance, that small shard of Han's mind that he carried within him send him strength and love.

"Oh, oh," Han muttered as he held his side in obvious pain.

In seconds the door to Ben's room burst open and Leia stormed in, a battalion of medical personnel in various moods of angst, behind her. She pointed at Han and the crowd behind her scrambled to retrieve Han and get him into a chair so that they could transport him back to his room.

She spared a loving smile for Ben before turning her worried wrath on her errant husband.

"Han! What in the seven hells do you think you're doing?"

"Honey, I can explain…" Han began, and as the crowd left Ben's room he couldn't help but smile at the actions of his father.

8888888888888888888888888888888

 _AN: I love to get reviews – let me know what you think? Thanks._


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

 _Planetary deserts were all the same in some aspect and this planet was no exception,_ Luke thought, as he surveyed his surroundings as he approached the small village. The environment was not nearly as harsh as Tatooine, with the nearby desert consisting of more scrub than sand, and the village presented a small but thriving community. The structure of the house was familiar to Luke even if he had never been in this village, much less this planet before, he let his senses guide him to what he felt was the correct house, and he stopped just outside of a door to a small desert dwelling.

The contact he was going to meet went by the alias of Alson, but Luke strongly suspected the man was an ally of Leia's, perhaps a survivor of Alderaan. He took a deep breath and steeled himself for the things that would be discussed, the things he would need to do on this day.

"Alson, are you here?" Luke called out.

"Just a minute," he heard the deep baritone of a man's voice, and the laughter of a young girl. Luke's heart swelled at hearing her voice, even without reaching for her in the force Luke knew he had found his niece, Breha. His love and relief was tinged with sadness for the immediate future, but he couldn't let the inhabitants of this small house see his anxiety.

The door opened and revealed a man who appeared to be in in his early fifties, slightly greying hair with a kind face and tired eyes. As most desert dwellers, he was thin, not a lot of weight to spare on his lean frame.

"Master Skywalker?" He inquired as Breha, peeked out from behind him.

"Yes, that would be me."

"Oh, where are my manners? I'm sorry. Please come in." He stepped back from the entryway and allowed Luke entrance into his abode.

The small home contained a medium sized open circular area which consisted of a cooking space, and a general living space with a smaller alcove off to the side which contained a simple pallet bed, and a small cot placed nearby.

"I am Alson," the man extended his hand and grasped Luke's hand warmly.

"Pleased to meet you," Luke said but his gaze was on Breha, who was openly studying him from behind his contact. Alson gently pushed Breha out from where she lingered and placed her in front of him, his hands resting on her shoulders. "And this is Rey."

"Rey?" Luke gave her a puzzled look. "That's your name?"

"Yes, I was Daddy's ray of sunshine," she said.

"Do you remember your father?"

"No," she shook her head sadly. "I don't remember much since the crash."

"The crash?" Luke looked from her to Alson.

"She was in a small ship that crashed some distance from here, she managed to make her way to my humble residence."

"Was she hurt?"

"A bit bruised, and cut up, but no broken bones, a pretty good bump on the head though, and as you can see her memory has not returned as I had hoped."

Breha grasped her protector's hand with her own for reassurance. "Do I know you?"

Luke nodded slowly. "Yes, we're related. You're my niece, I am your uncle."

"My uncle? Your name is Luke? You're my Uncle Luke?" Her face scrunched in concentration.

"Yes, do you remember me?"

She shook her head. "No. I don't remember anyone…"

She turned into Alson, who picked her up and hugged her tight for a bit before setting her down. "Why don't you go play for a bit while I talk to your Uncle Luke?"

"Okay." She studied Luke and he felt her mind touching his, but kept his mind locked down tight, and after a moment the sensation was gone and he realized she wasn't even aware she was using the force in such a manner. With a cautious smile for Luke, she turned away and went back to the alcove where she took out a couple of rudimentary toys. Alson motioned Luke to follow him outside and he did with only a slight backwards glance for Breha.

"She's been with you since she crashed?"

"Yes, no one else."

"Was anyone with her?"

"A man. I couldn't find any sort of identification on him, and since he was already dead, and I was interested in saving the child, I didn't search for more."

"You didn't go back?"

"There was no reason to." Alson gave him an appraising glance. "You are Luke Skywalker? The hero of the New Republic? The Jedi Knight?"

Luke gave a slight nod and grimaced. "Yeah, that's me."

"More importantly, you're her uncle? Her real uncle?"

Luke nodded.

"Then Princess Leia is…"

"My sister."

"I knew it, the girl looks like her mother."

"And acts like her father," Luke muttered but with affection.

"Ahh, you would mean the illustrious Han Solo?"

Luke snorted but grinned at the other man. "Illustrious? I've never heard Han described in quite that way before."

"The things the three of you have done for this galaxy are amazing."

"We only did what we had to." Luke watched the man for a moment. "You know at least one of them?"

The man nodded. "Princess Leia. I am a merchant from Alderaan. I was occasionally honored with an invitation to the palace to sell my wares, and I had the privilege of meeting Princess Leia when she was a young girl. I doubt she would remember me."

"Oh, well I'm glad Breha ended up in such a good place. You know Han too?"

"Strangely enough, I do. I also had the opportunity to sell my merchandise off planet and I ran into him in a cantina on Corellia. He is a native Corellian, is he not?"

"He is."

"That would explain it," the man smiled and nodded to himself.

"Explain what?"

"Well, when I met him he was quite a bit younger, early to mid-twenties perhaps? He was still wet behind the ears, I'm afraid. He was bragging about a new ship he had just won, and how he had a Wookie co-pilot." Alson laughed. "And he had a bevy of beautiful women fawning all over him. He really made quite the impression."

Luke laughed. "Don't ever tell Leia that, she's a bit possessive about her smuggler."

"Rey is their child is she not? Aren't they married?"

"Yes, and happily. They continue to prove the naysayers wrong."

"Good for them, very good indeed!" The older man clapped Luke on the back as he beamed at him. "So, you'll take Rey home?"

Luke shifted uneasily and finally met Alson's gaze. "There's a problem."

"Problem? Don't they want her? Are they daft?"

"They do want her back, they love her very much."

"Then what's the problem?" He hissed at Luke.

"The problem is she's a special little girl." Luke eyed his companion with a somber look. "Tell me, do you believe in the force?"

After a long few moments, Alson nodded. "Yes, I've seen too many things not to believe in it."

"Breha…Rey, is strong in the force and I believe she has special abilities."

"She needs to be protected?"

"Yes, it's paramount she is kept safe."

"People are after her?" Alson's visage darkened perceptibly.

"Not yet, but there is a dark power rising that means to cause us all harm. I believe in the final showdown…Rey will help to save us from that darkness."

Alson inclined his head towards the door, knowing Rey lie beyond. "But she's just a little girl."

"A beautiful little girl who will grow into an amazing and powerful woman as long as she is kept hidden and safe."

"Is that what you're asking me to do?"

Luke smiled. "I would like to talk to you about it, and thought you could give me local history on this planets and other nearby planets. I need to find someplace where it's be safe for a little girl to grow up with a guardian to watch out for her."

"But what about the Princess and Solo? How can they do this if they love her so much?" Alson searched Luke's face as he waited for the Jedi to answer.

"They sent me to find her and to do the right thing to keep her safe…but it is difficult for them," Luke answered, revealing only a part of the truth to this kind and compassionate stranger who had taken such good care of Breha.

"I don't know how they can do it, the Gods know I could never give up a child of mine, even if it was for the greater good."

Luke ground his teeth together, clamping down on the surge of guilt that occasionally threatened to overwhelm him at the course of action he was about to take.

"What are you going to tell Rey?"

"I don't know. It may actually be helpful because she doesn't remember everything," Luke said softly.

"Since she doesn't remember her parents she's already somewhat disconnected from them."

The two men stared at each other and Luke nodded once again.

"All right, come into the house again. You can stay for dinner and I have an extra bedroll you can use for tonight. It will be good for you to talk to Rey. She doesn't remember her parents, but she misses them all the same."

"I know, I could feel it."

"Hmm, I suppose you could." The native man shrugged. "All right, I hope she hasn't decided to take something apart and fix it in the short time we've been out here."

"She does that?" Luke couldn't help but smile.

"Yes, all the time. Any idea where she gets that from?"

Luke could no longer hide the grin as he thought of Han and his penchant for fixing and rebuilding things. "I think I have a pretty good idea," he said and followed his host back into his house.

8888888888888888888888888888

When they entered they found Rey by her cot, a small mechanical device and it's many parts laid out before her. She frowned at it, deep in thought.

"Oh, Rey, what have you done?" Alson said cheerfully.

"You said the toaster was burning your toast, so I'm fixing it." She grinned up at her mentor.

"Ahh, of course."

Luke couldn't help himself and he grinned at her.

"Why are you happy that I'm doing this, Uncle Luke?"

Luke started for a moment and then remembered the girl seemed to subconsciously use her force abilities to gain insight into others. He knew there was no harm in answering any of her questions today for by the time he left her memories would be safely tucked away until a later date.

"You remind me of your father."

"He fixes things?" She eagerly searched for any news of her family.

"Yeah, anything and everything. Mostly his ship though…" Luke faltered, remembering that not only had Han lost his daughter, but his beloved ship as well.

"The Falcon?" Rey wrinkled her brow in concentration. "Was it called the Falcon?"

"Yeah, do you remember it?"

"A little. I know it's important to my father…" Her voice trailed off in thought, a frown marring her face. "Who is my father, Uncle Luke? And my mother?"

Alson, nodded to the two of them. "Rey, I'm going to leave you to visit with your Uncle and go to get some food for dinner. I'll be back shortly." He looked at Luke. "You two will be all right?"

"Yup. I'm going to tell Uncle Luke all about us and our life." Rey smiled brightly.

"Why don't you show him your pet, the Ermine?"

"Oh, yes. He's sleeping, I'll have to wake him up," Rey said and scrambled towards the sleeping mat and the small pile of blankets on it.

Alson gave her a loving smile and a wink towards Luke as he quietly exited the abode. Breha made some disparaging and scolding noises, and finally pulled the small furry creature out of the mountain of blankets stacked there. Cuddling the erstwhile, squirming creature against her body, Rey returned to her uncle showing off her small friend.

"An Urmine? That's a cool pet. I always wanted one when I was a kid."

"He's special. He sometimes makes me mad, and he doesn't always listen to me, but he's also smart, kind, and he loves me."

"He sounds like quite a pet," Luke said and put his fingers out to the razor-sharp teeth of the small creature, who nibbled at his fingers with a threatening posture but did no harm. "What's his name?"

"Han," Rey replied and Luke laughed, knowing how true her innocent statement was.

"He sounds like a Han."

"You're really my Uncle?"

"Yes, Rey I am."

"Where are my Mom and Dad?"

"They're on a planet far away from here, and they sent me to find you. They've been searching for you for a long time."

"They want me back?" Although her voice was soft, Luke could feel her pain, the fact that Rey felt she had been abandoned.

"Oh, Rey, they would do anything to get you back. They love you very much."

"Why can't I remember?" Tears were starting to slip out of her eyes, and Luke saw both Leia's resolve as she tried not to cry warring with Han's emotionalism.

"I think it was the crash, Sweetie."

Rey gave him a funny look. "Sweetie? Sweetheart?" Her face scrunched again. "Daddy used to call me that, didn't he?"

"Yes, he did. He still calls your mother that."

"Sweetheart, sweetheart…" Rey rolled the word around on her tongue as if testing it out. "What are their names?"

"Your father is Han, and your mother is Leia."

"Han?" Her face lilt with happiness as she squeezed her Urmine who protested as such a fierce hug. "I used Daddy's name for my pet?"

"Yes, I guess you did."

"Maybe I do remember something of Daddy. Why can't I remember more, Uncle Luke?"

Luke found himself staring into a set of hazel eyes that were a mirror image of his best friend's eyes, and he mentally tried to shake off his apprehension of the task that lie before him.

"I'm guessing your head was hurt in the crash and it's made your memory bad."

"Alson says so too." She pouted for just a little bit and then looked back at Luke. "Alson says you're a Jedi Knight, that you can do amazing things." She swallowed as if gathering her courage and then raised her chin defiantly. "I want you to fix my memory."

Luke stared into her sweet face and sad hazel eyes and felt a pang of pain in his chest.

"Will you help me?" The demand had turned into a soft plea, and Luke's heart melted just a little more. "I want to remember my family, I want to go home."

"I can help, Rey, but you have to trust me. Do you trust me?"

"Yes, oh, yes, Uncle Luke. I would do anything to go home and be with my family!" She dropped her Ermine and he rolled away in protest, chittering at her as she threw herself into Luke's unprepared arms.

He caught her and held her close, feeling both love and sadness rolling off his niece as well as a sense of needing to belong, somewhere, anywhere, but a determination to return to her family no matter what. He held her close, murmuring comforting whispers of nothing into her ear as she cried against him, letting go of her anxiety and her angst, knowing her Uncle would finally set things right, would finally get her home to her family that loved her.

"Tonight, Rey, after you go to sleep, I will work on your memory."

The small girl nodded against his chest and he felt the surge of belief in him and love for him swell in her chest, and he made sure his shields were tightly in place so she couldn't detect his overwhelming sadness and pain because of the things fate had decreed he do for the good of the galaxy. Instead he just held her and comforted her, aware that this night was the last one that anyone in her family would be able to do so for a great many years, his heart heavy with a pain he didn't know he could experience, a pain that could possibly sever his connections with the two most important people in his life when he returned to them.

888888888888888888888888888888888

Rey lie peacefully next to her Uncle Luke, a pleased smile on her face even in sleep. Luke was awake and staring at the girl, his niece, wishing he could be as blissfully unaware of the galaxy around him as she was. Rey was already an incredible child who seemed to have inherited the best part of her parents. From Han she got an ability to take apart something and figure out how to put it back together although sometimes in an erratic fashion, and from experience Luke knew that didn't always apply to physical things. Even though Leia had seemed broken in so many ways, Han had found a way to make her want to live again, a way to make her fight and believe in a future. Luke was sure Han had no idea if that future would have included himself, but in the end, it didn't matter; because even though he tried to hide under a cynical façade, his gruff exterior fooled no one that really cared about him, for the Corellian smuggler had a heart of gold, and it often got him in trouble. Rey acted like her father, at least from what he had seen so far, and the stories Alson had told him.

But she looked like her mother. Beautiful dark hair, a face that resembled Leia's, and wise eyes staring out of the young face. The hazel eyes that often sparkled with mischief belonged to Han, it was no wonder she was Daddy's girl. Leia's resolve and intelligence as well as her compassion was more than evident in her daughter, and more of it showed through in her personality every day.

Still Luke stared, unwilling to do what he felt the force was telling him to do. _He couldn't be wrong, could he? He knew more about the force and how it worked than any other living soul, surely the path he had chosen was the correct one. What good was it to have the force if you couldn't trust your own judgement?_

Luke sat up and sighed and saw Alson was propped up on his shoulder watching him.

"Will she stay asleep?" Alson asked softly.

Luke nodded.

"Good, because I have something to say to you. I know you're a Jedi Knight, and I'm sure quite respectable, but my alliance is to my Princess, no matter that Alderaan doesn't exist anymore, she is still my Princess."

"I don't follow."

"I will obey her request, not yours, and I have wondered why you are really here. You have travelled a long way to find a little girl that you are not taking home."

"She has to be kept safe."

"Yes, but have her parents agreed to it?"

"We have discussed the matter and they are aware of the danger she faces." Luke breathed out _, it wasn't exactly a lie._

"They are willing to let her live her life, away from them?"

"They know it is the best way to keep her safe," Luke said.

Alson shook his head in disbelief. "Something doesn't seem right to me, Master Skywalker but I can't quite put my finger on what it is."

"You're imagining things."

"Am I?" Alson frowned at Luke. "It was all over the news a few years back how excited the Princess and her husband were to be having another child. And now they don't want her around?"

"That's not it, they are afraid for her future if she returns, and they are willing to do a greater good for both her and the galaxy by leaving her hidden."

"It doesn't seem right," Alson grumbled.

"I can assure you it was an extremely difficult decision for them to make."

"And are they satisfied with their decision?"

"Yes, they are. I believe they came to peace with their decision."

"And what about you?"

"Me?" Luke's voice echoed his surprise.

"Yes, are you at peace with the part you're playing? Are you sure you can leave her without her family?"

Luke studied the quiet slumber of Rey once again, and pressed the memory into his conscious mind so that he could always draw upon the peace he experienced in this moment with her.

"I have no choice," Luke whispered.

"And if she remembers after you leave?"

"She won't."

"But…"

"She won't. I can't keep her safe if she remembers who she really is."

"What are you going to do to her?" Alson sounded worried, and more than a little protective of his charge.

"Very little, actually. She hardly remembers anything of her life before crashing on this planet. I am simply going to enhance her loss of memory so she won't remember prematurely. Some day in the future she will remember, but not until she is a grown woman. Until then she will only remember her parents left her with you to keep her safe and protected; and that someday they will come for her."

"My care, you say?"

"You would serve your Princess well if you would continue to care for her daughter." Luke's gaze was sincere. "There is no greater service you could do for Leia."

"Will she know this?"

"She will not know who you are as in order to keep Rey safe, all connections must be severed. You will be compensated so that the two of you can live a decent life."

"But I know who she is. Aren't you afraid someone will get to me?"

Luke started a bit, he hadn't thought of that. "There is something I can do, with your permission, of course that would help this situation."

"And what would that be Master Skywalker?"

"I can make you forget who she really is. You would only know that you adopted her after her ship crashed; only that you are each other's family, and you must keep her safe at all costs."

"I will let you know in the morning."

"Fair enough."

Luke studied his niece again with a tender smile.

"You won't hurt her?"

"On my life, I pledge I would never hurt her."

"Except for taking her away from her family."

The two men stared at each other for a time in the darkness until with an affirmative grunt, Alson finally turned away, turning his back to Luke. "If you hurt her, Master Skywalker, you'll answer to me. Are we clear?"

"We are clear," Luke whispered softly, and let his gaze fall on Rey.

Then soft as he could be, he let his fingertips rest on her forehead and gently pushed into her mind, and was welcomed with enthusiasm by her subconscious self, but he waited until her mind stopped keeping tabs on him and allowed her back into a normal sleep cycle. Then he began the long, arduous process of gathering her memories before the crash and putting them behind walls that would keep them contained for many years with the knowledge that when the time was right, the force would put things into action and she would return to be reunited with her parents as a grown, beautiful woman, confident in herself and a force of her own to be reckoned with. Then he slowly eased out of her slumbering mind.

"You are loved so much, by your family, Rey. You must always hold that within your heart. It was with great pain they left you here, but it was to keep you safe and one day they will return to you. They will find you or you will find them. Look forward to that day, Rey. It will all be worth it." He whispered as her fingertips drew away from her face. He caressed her cheek gently, enjoying the feel of her soft skin under his fingertips, having contact with the remarkable child, his niece, that shone with a brilliance he could never truly describe to anyone.

When he was done he stood up and silently made his way out of the small dwelling and went for a short walk to try to calm himself. Agitation and imbalance were not the ways of the Jedi, they could lead to the darkness, but despite knowing this he was unable to prevent the wetness on his cheeks, or the love he felt for his niece.

He knew he had done the right thing, he had to believe that. Otherwise he had just ruined the lives of a family he loved for an elusive belief.

Now he had to find a way to live with himself and put this behind him and gather up the courage to face Han and Leia with a truth they wouldn't want to hear, a truth that would cause them more pain than anything they had yet experienced. _But it was necessary. It was for the greater good._

At least that's what he kept telling himself.

8888888888888888888888888888888

The next morning Rey cried as she watched the ship leave planet side, clutching onto her guardian, Alson. The ship went up into space and eventually faded away as the tears continued to flow from her eyes.

"It'll be all right, my little one, it will be all right."

"They left me here," she cried. "My parents left me here."

"To keep you safe, remember? They left you with me."

"You'll keep me safe?" Her large tear filled hazel eyes regarded him with compassion and trust.

"With my life, little Princess."

"Why did you call me that?" Rey's nose wrinkled in distaste.

"Because to me you are my little Princess."

"We're family now?" Rey asked, her gaze earnest.

"Yes, Rey, we are."

Rey hugged him tight and when she let go she had a small smile on her face. "Can we go and see the crashed ships?"

"Not today, they're too far out and many are under the watchful eye of…let's call it a private business."

"Tomorrow?" She asked brightly.

"Yes, tomorrow." He paused. "But we could go for a walk now. And then you can come home and put the toaster back together."

Rey smiled brightly. "Deal. Then lunch?"

"When are you not hungry, child?"

"I'm a growing girl," she said.

Alson smiled and offered the girl his hand as they wandered into the small streets of the village's market area, leaving Rey's past behind her.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

The Med center released Han two weeks later to Leia's care with instructions for him to take things at a slow pace so that he didn't end up back at the hospital again. The Senate had kept her longer than expected when he was due to be released and she wasn't surprised to find an angry, irritable husband pacing the floor waiting for her to give him a ride home. Sensing it was going to be a long night, she signed him out without a word, and grumbling quietly in the background, he followed her to the hired speeder.

"We're having takeout tonight, all, right?"

"Better than you trying to cook, Sweetheart."

She eyed him, trying to gauge his reaction, it was somewhere between biting sarcasm and some sort of serious tone. She sighed inwardly. These last couple of years had been hard on their family, but probably hardest of all on him. The torture he had endured was unspeakable and though he made a remarkable physical recovery, there were still some things he would never be the same for him. His right leg had been broken in three places, he would always have a slight limp. His lungs had been partially collapsed, at least twice, and it was a wonder it hadn't killed him outright; his breathing would always be a bit suspect in the future and he was more prone to nasty lung infections with less provocation. He had such extensive nerve damage in his left arm which although repaired, there were things he still couldn't feel with it, and sometimes it would shake of its own accord. At least it wasn't his blaster hand. And many more minor things he just simply kept to himself, things he was determined not to mention because they were his pain and he felt he had to bear it.

As awful as the physical ordeals were, Leia was much more concerned about his mental and emotional wellbeing, and this was her biggest challenge, to find a way to get her husband to some sort of therapeutic councilor that could help him with his PTSD issues. She was happy to help in any way she could, and the force healing had helped to make him functional again, but she wasn't a trained psychologist and she doubted anyone but a trained psychologist could help him now.

She prayed to any gods that might be listening that when Luke returned he would have Breha in tow, or at least know where she was. She was doing her best to be strong for Han and Ben, but there was a hole in her heart only her baby girl could fill, a space that needed to be filled so she could be complete once more.

Luke had been gone for over a month now and she was anxiously awaiting his return, hoping every day they would hear from him. They both wanted their baby back and this endless waiting was agony, and to add to their trials and tribulations, Ben was in a mental care facility and had been for the last two weeks. Due to his doctor's request, in order to give Ben an unbiased evaluation, they had been asked to stay away from him for the majority of that time which further set the two of them on edge. They had an appointment with Ben's doctor later in the day to get his current diagnosis and treatment plan.

Leia looked over at Han but he remained tight-lipped, choosing to not indulge in any sort of conversation as they made their way home, so she let him be. Sometimes they both just needed some time to themselves.

888888888888888888888888888888888

The room they waited in at least had some decorations in it. There were shelves on the wall adorned with knick-knacks of wookies, of all things, a couple of quite tasteful landscape paintings on the walls, and the office had a large window that let in lots of light. Leia regarded Han as he fidgeted nervously, he was always worse getting the diagnosis for one of them than for himself, but at least they were familiar with this doctor. Dr. Tower was a middle-aged man with greying hair, and kind blue eyes. He treated his patients with compassion and dignity and he had a boatload of credentials backing him and his treatment of the mentally ill. They knew Ben could not be in better hands but on some level, that didn't matter, because this was their son and he was having problems, all they wanted was for him to be well.

The door opened and the doctor entered the room quietly and nodded a greeting to them as he took a seat across from the table, lying down a stack of charts by him. Then he looked up at the door, at his watch and rubbed his chin.

"Are you missing something, Doctor?" Leia asked.

"Missing? No, but I was expecting some of my colleagues to join us."

"Why do you need more doctors? Is there a problem?" Han leaned forward in his chair and Leia placed a restraining hand on his arm.

"No, it's just their input would be useful. But," he gestured to the charts, "it's all in the reports and I am the attending physician."

"Why do you have paper charts?" Han asked, the novelty of it registering with him. "Why not a data pad?"

"Oh, I use those too. I find something comforting in paper, somehow it helps me focus my thoughts better."

Leia sighed but got to the item at hand. "What's your evaluation of Ben?"

"Ahh, your son. Such a charming boy, we have taken a great deal of time to make sure our diagnosis of what he is suffering from is correct."

"And that is?" Han prodded only to have Leia squeeze his arm.

Dr. Tower set his paper down and with along sigh regarded the two anxious parents. "From previous meetings you know Ben suffers from Borderline Personality Disorder. In essence, this means he has trouble regulating his emotions. This leads to instability, lack of self-esteem, and mood swings. They often experience a sense of abandonment." The doctor's eyes studied them closely. "We diagnosed him before and suggested a treatment and he seemed to do quite well with it. Enough that his therapy sessions have been limited of late. It seems he has relapsed since then, has he shown any sense of abandonment? Or self-harm?"

"No!" Leia reacted. "Ben has never tried to harm himself." Now Han was squeezing her arm in comfort.

"But he has started to react more strongly if and when we leave."

Dr. Tower nodded to himself, skimming his charts. "Your son has experienced trauma, a lot of trauma it seems within the last couple of years. Is that, right?"

Han nodded.

"So, he still has BPD?" Leia asked.

"Yes, unfortunately mental illness like this seldom goes away." He expelled a long sigh and gave them a sad look.

"What?" Leia could feel a ripple of the doctor's emotions and they were sympathetic, he clearly didn't want to pursue the conversation he was having with them.

"His mental illness has worsened. His BPD has progressed from slight to severe. And it's too early to be certain but I am afraid this may be leading to another type of disorder."

"What?" Han whispered, his expression stunned that this was happening to their little boy.

"There is a mental disorder known as Dissociative Identity Disorder."

"You think Ben has that?" Leia's face had gone white.

"What? What is it?" Han asked, trying to catch up.

"Simply put, it is a mental disease, usually the result of severe trauma, but not always, where a person disconnects from reality thus becoming numb to things going on around them. It often manifests with a person hearing voices in their heads telling them what to do. In severe cases, it can lead to a split in a person's personality, for all practical purposes they become another person."

"A split personality? You're saying Ben has a split personality?" Han echoed in disbelief.

"Not at this time, at least we've found nothing substantial to indicate this has happened."

"But you think it could?" Leia's voice was a whisper.

"Yes. We know from his past treatment he has been hearing voices on a regular basis, and he says they have gotten louder. That is not a good sign."

"What do we do? How do we make him better?" Han's face was grief stricken as he clutched Leia's hand.

"We need to begin a more aggressive treatment immediately."

"What does that mean? We will do whatever we need to make him well," Leia said.

"I know, you are good parents and I'm so sorry I had to give you this diagnosis, but going forward is the only way to go. Denial won't help you, or me, and especially not Ben."

"We'll do anything for him," Han agreed, and gave Leia a furtive look and nodded as if to himself. "And I'll go with him."

The doctor and Leia regarded him curiously.

"Han?"

"Leia, you know I don't like doctors, or hospitals, or med centers; any of that."

"Yes, and?"

"And even though I know I should be getting treatment for PTSD I've been putting it off. What I'm sayin' is if it will help Ben, well…I'll sign up for my treatment too and we can be at the treatment center at the same time. He'll know he's not alone and he's not weak cause his old man needs some help too…" Han expelled a sigh feeling vulnerable after his admission.

Leia squeezed his hand until he looked back at her again and saw the love and approval in her eyes for him, and he knew it would be all right.

"That is an admirable idea, General, but can you manage it with your work schedule?"

"I'll make it work," Han growled. "I'll make them give me a desk job. Or I'll quit."

Leia blinked in confusion. When they had spoken of Han's job in the past, as much as he loathed it some days at least he still got to fly and that made things workable for him. For him to give up flying as part of his job was a great sacrifice that she was aware of, but for him to quit outright was something they hadn't discussed seriously. He liked providing for his family even though due to Leia's personal wealth they didn't really need it. Both were steps he didn't take lightly.

"Han?" She squeezed his arm until he looked back at her. "We should talk about this before you do anything." _I would never ground you,_ was her unspoken thought.

"There's nothin' to talk about. It's for Ben. It's done."

She thought she understood the depth of his love for them but he constantly surprised her and showed yet another layer of deep emotion she had once never envisioned could exist within this man that she now loved with all her heart.

"What will we have to do, doctor?" Leia asked turning back to him.

"The treatment will be a combination of psychotherapies and medications, and as before we will have to determine what will work best for him given the new circumstances." He gave Han an encouraging smile. "And I think knowing you're with him and receiving treatment as well may be encouraging for him. Thank you for considering that option."

"He's my son," Han said gruffly as if that explained everything.

"Believe me when I tell you that not many parents stay involved when their child is diagnosed with a mental illness. Many wash their hands of their child, or family member as to some it still carries an unwanted stigma. Thank you for caring enough to help him with this."

"We'd never do that to our child," Leia stated in no uncertain terms.

"Will he get better?" Han asked.

"I think given time and the right course of treatment this will be a manageable illness. He has shown improvement in the past so there's no reason to think it may not happen again, but it will take time," the doctor cautioned.

"We can give him time," Leia agreed.

"One other thing I need to bring up and has never been properly addressed, partly I believe because with some people, even in the medical profession, it does bear a stigma."

"What is that?" Leia dreaded the doctor's next words.

"Ben, is remarkable in many ways, ways that don't seem quite normal." The doctor gauged them with a wary eye, clearly uncertain of their reactions. "Is he a force user?"

Han and Leia regarded each other in some surprise and the doctor laughed.

"Look, I'm many things but stupid isn't one of them. When a drink floats off a tray three feet away from his hand to his hand there's something going on."

Han leaned back and closed his mouth, this one was up to his wife.

Leia studied the doctor and felt no signs of antagonism or ill will towards Ben within him and after a long moment she nodded. "Yes, he is."

"That may be part of his problem, or rather that may be adding to his instability, especially if it runs strong through him."

"How would you know? Are you a force user?" Leia gently reached out to touch the edges of his mind.

"Heavens no, but I am a bit sensitive. And by the way, Senator, I felt that."

Leia appeared chagrined at her actions and withdrew, Han smirked at her being caught.

"My apologies, Dr. Tower."

"No problem, this is a new area for all of us." He paused. "No one I know can offer him training in the force, but we can offer a solid way for him to learn to cope, to live with his illness."

"But you think the force could impair his ability to do this?" Leia's concern was evident.

"Maybe, maybe not. Too soon to tell. My professional opinion is that the best course of action for Ben is to treat his disorder, now, with us and keep him in the program."

"We'll do it," Han nodded enthusiastically and regarded his wife who seemed a bit more uncertain. He elbowed her in the ribs. "Leia?"

"Oh yes, of course. We'll do it. He needs the best treatment he can get."

"And I promise you we will do the best we can for him and your family. Thank you for putting your trust in us."

"When can he start?"

"Senator, he's being released from the hospital to your custody today and it's almost the end of the week. Bring him back on Monday and we'll get started."

"That's good, it will give him a few days at home to acclimate again."

"All right, I need the two of you to sign some legalities, my assistant will be in to help you shortly." The doctor stood up and went over to each of them and shook their hands, and paused in the doorway to look at Han.

"And General, I assume you will bring Ben on Monday so we can get started on your evaluation?'

"Yeah, we'll do that," Han said in a less than happy voice.

"Excellent," the doctor beamed.

The couple watched as the doctor exited and they both stood up and fell into one another's embrace, soothing each other without words. Now things will be all right, was their shared thought, at last things would be all right.

888888888888888888888888888888888

When they arrived home, Leia opened the door and gently pushed Ben inside. Much to his surprise he found the kitchen and living room had been adorned with streamers and balloons and signs that said, "Welcome Home, Ben!"

Leia and Han had set up the decorations knowing their son would be returning home today and they wanted to be sure he had a proper welcome and that he knew how much they had missed him.

"This is all for me?" Ben regarded the apartment in amazement, stunned because his parents had done all of this for him.

"Do you like it?" Han asked.

"Yeah, Dad. It's great."

"Good." He went over to Ben and squeezed his shoulders in an affectionate gesture.

"But why?"

"Because we're glad your back."

"Umm, thanks, I guess." Ben seemed somewhat subdued, and turned to his father. "Dad, are you okay?"

Leia watched the two of them, sensing each of her boys had something to say to one another.

"Oh, Ben," Han gripped his son and hugged him tightly. "Are you all right? Fett didn't do anything to you, did he?"

"No, Dad, I'm fine," Ben mumbled against Han's chest.

"I was worried that he…hurt you," Han finished in a whisper.

"He didn't, I'm good."

Han disengaged from the hug and bent down to look Ben in the eyes, and the intensity on his father's face unnerved Ben, but he stood still and waited for what his father had to say.

"I want you to understand something, Ben, I want you to know that this is true now and will be true for the rest of your life."

"Okay." Ben was unable to break his gaze from the darkened hazel ones which seemed to stare into his very soul.

"I love you. I love you and your sister so much that it hurts me whenever something bad happens to you. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"No one will ever love you the way your mother and I do. I will always do my best to protect you and do what is right for you. And if I have to I would gladly sacrifice my life to save you…"

"Han…" Leia interjected, alarmed at his intensity.

"Not now!" He held up his hand to prevent her interruption.

Ben gulped, feeling such strong territorial and protective feelings coming from his father, underlined by an undying love for him and the rest of Han's family; there was no doubt in Ben's mind that his father meant every word he was uttering.

"I will do whatever I feel is necessary to protect you, all of you. You may not like it, but I will do it. Do you understand?"

Ben helplessly looked over at his mother who remained quiet, patient.

"Do you understand? You are my son and I love you. I will do anything to keep you safe, to help you."

"Yes, sir. I understand."

"Good, really good." Han loosened his grip on Ben and took a deep breath and exhaled slowly as if telling himself to relax.

Leia had wandered over to her two boys and put her hand on Han's arm. "Now that your Dad is done with the serious business, I think it's time for dinner, don't you?"

Han pulled Ben into a looser hug, and knowing it would embarrass him, he kissed the top of Ben's head. "I love you, Ben."

"I love you too, Dad," Ben said, and much to Hans surprise hugged him tighter.

"Come on, kid. Time to eat. It seems your Mom has prepared take out."

"Hey, no shots from the family, please. Cooking is just not among my best qualities."

Han snorted and Ben laughed as they shared a knowing look.

"What?" Leia asked, allowing a smile to spread across her face.

"I'll get the plates," Ben said and went to gather them and the silverware.

Han took a moment to gather Leia in his arms and place a soft kiss on her forehead. "Thanks."

"For what?"

"For well, everything. You put up with a lot of crap because of me and I'm grateful."

"You're welcome. Come on, Hotshot. Time for dinner."

"Yes, your Highnessness," he smirked at her and Leia's heart did a little leap. Perhaps everything would be all right after all.

888888888888888888888888888888888

 _Gods! She couldn't remember the last time she had called, no moaned his name in so many ways. The way he had taken the time to bring her to climax so many times before seeing to his own needs._ Still recovering her breath, she looked across at Han and saw he was in much the same disheveled state, with a goofy smile on his face. She loved she could do that to him.

"Leia," he groaned, "that was…"

"Indescribably satisfying," she said with a smug voice.

"You always did have a way with words," he growled, deep affection in his voice. "C'mere," he pulled her so that she was lying on top of him, resting her head on his chest.

It never ceased to amaze her no matter how bad things may be, whether they were facing danger with no apparent way out, or some sort of personal crisis this was always the place she felt the safest, at his side, within the comfort of his arms.

He wordlessly squeezed her arms and she nestled closer to him, if that was even possible, as they expressed their love to one another in silent communion. She relished this time with her husband as It seemed they never had enough of it together, but with difficult as things had been between them of late they also hadn't had much time for more promiscuous activities, and Leia felt somewhat deprived of her loving husband's more personal attention.

Still resting against his chest, hearing the steady beat of his heart, knowing he was starting to drowse, she allowed her hand to slip down from the lazy circles she was rubbing on his chest to ghost across his shaft; several times. She also knew and was blessed with the fact that because of his Corellian anatomy, he had a quick refractory period of recovery. They had discovered early on that Leia was as insatiable for Han as he was for her, which mostly led to, well, lots of sex. She knew it wasn't normal for everyone but it worked for them, and she lightly ran her fingers over his already hardening cock.

"Leia," he rumbled, but she could hear the humor in his voice. "Tryin' to sleep here."

"But I'm not sleepy."

"You don't do the heavy lifting. So to speak." He quirked an eye open at her.

"Are you saying it's heavy?" Her nod indicated his growing erection.

"It's very heavy. Filled with love for you." he gave her his patented lopsided grin and she snorted.

"That's the corniest thing I've ever heard," she started to giggle against him.

"Oh, you like that? How about this; it's heavy with my seeds of love for your blossoming garden."

"Now you're just trying to make me sick," she said giggling helplessly

Han began to chuckle at her laughter. "It's heavy with need for its mate…"

"Han!"

"Okay, that one needs work," he was laughing with her now.

Content with their much-needed release, their laughter continued until Leia quite literally took matters into her own hands, and mouth, until she rolled underneath him and pulled Han into her, both filled with a fierce need of one another, their copulation was fast and intense and left them both fulfilled as their climax shook them to their core.

"Sleep, Leia," Han whispered and pulled her back into her position on his chest.

Sated, she nodded in agreement and gave herself to the welcome arms of sleep, secure in the arms of her loving husband.

888888888888888888888888888888888

It was hard to sleep that night, Ben thought as he sat awake in his bed. There was so much going on that he had trouble keeping up with it all the changes in his life from day to day. He hated Breha was gone, she was sometimes a pain, but she was his little sister and he loved her. He was hopeful Uncle Luke would find her and bring her home.

His Mom was great, even tempered and thoughtful, she had done her best to spend time with him and let him know he was still very important to her and his father, and that they still loved him. She had even been spending more time with him at home of late, and he had no doubts about his mother or her love for him.

But he was worried about his Dad. And his intensity today, the things he said to him, scared him. Not because of his words but because of the waves of feelings, love, protectiveness, and even possessiveness that had rolled off Han. He didn't completely understand why he could experience his father's feelings, but he did, and he wished he could help his father, but he didn't know how.

He was agitated, and upset, and had a few doubts about his father's sanity, and wished more than anything he had a best friend to share things with, to talk to, to get advice from when things were difficult for him. None of the friends at school understood him though, and only a couple of them knew he had the force within him. They weren't scared of him, exactly, but they were worried when the desk moved when he got upset. Jonas and Mona said they were fine with it, but since then he had seen the apprehension in their eyes when they were with him.

He shifted uneasily on the bed.

 _I am here,_ the voice announced and Ben knew immediately who it was. He was beginning to think he had imagined Snoke that it had been part of his mental illness, because Snoke bothered him less when he was on his meds. He tried not to take them sometimes as even though they were supposed to help him, they sometimes made him feel all fuzzy, like his brain forgot how to work properly, and he didn't like the feeling.

 _You called to me and I have come. I can help you._

Ben knew he shouldn't respond, but he was bored and curious. _How can you help me?_

 _I can make you strong, make it so you don't need anyone else._

 _Not even my parents? I'll always need my family because I love them._

 _You don't need them. You are stronger without them. I know you feel the force running through you, I know you want to feel how it flows through you. It will only get stronger as you get older._

 _I will learn to control it, I will go to Uncle Luke…_

 _Uncle Luke!_ The anger and disdain for his Uncle was clear from Snoke's mind. _He doesn't know you as I do. He will tell you to control your impulses, but that's not what you need. You need to expel your energy, give reign to your impulses…whatever they may be._

 _No, I have to listen to Uncle Luke, he's a Jedi Master._

His statement was met with an unnatural silence and he was just beginning to think Snoke had gone away when he heard him again.

 _Your family is weak._

 _They're not._

 _Look at your father he is broken._

 _You don't know what happened to him._

 _But I do. I felt it from Boba Fett._

 _How could you do that? Ben's mind was more than skeptical._

 _I have great power, Ben, and can do a great many things that you do not even know. Your father is broken and cannot be repaired. He doesn't love you the way he loves your sister and he never will._

 _He does love me! He told me so!_

 _He said he would do anything for you, even sacrifice his life for you?_

 _Yes, he would. Ben insisted extolling his father's virtues._

 _Interesting, it is a weakness for him then._

 _Saving his family, saving us isn't a weakness!_

 _Someday you will be able to test this theory of yours. It will be interesting to see what you want him to decide._

 _What does that mean?_

 _It is too soon to tell you, as there are too many roads to be followed. But know this, Ben Solo, know you are mine._

 _No, I'm not! I don't belong to you._

 _But am I not your only friend? Don't I try to make things better for you?_

Ben remained silent weighing his words.

 _And because I am your friend, I will tell you a secret._

 _What secret?_

 _Your Uncle Luke is on his way back with news of your sister._

 _Breha? That's great!_ Ben jumped out of bed and paced his room, happy with the news.

 _But he is not bringing her back._

 _What? Why not?_

 _Because he is going to lie to you. To you and your parents._

 _Luke? Why would he do that?_

 _You must find out, but don't believe what your parents say about Luke, he cannot be trusted; they can't be trusted._

 _They're my parents._

 _They will lie to you…_

 _About what?_ Ben demanded but was met with silence.

He sighed and sat down on his bed again, disturbed enough to consider going to see his parents. Even though he didn't want to tell them about his conversation with Snoke, he knew they could make him feel better.

He had gotten as far as his own door when he stopped, suddenly aware of the feelings of love and contentment radiating from his parents. He squirmed uncomfortably as the young hormones in his body also began to react. His Dad had talked to him about a young man's hormones but he had only recently begun to experience what that really meant as he was nearly a teen ager. It didn't help that through the force he was more than aware of their parental interludes, and their feelings of love and happiness, and desire radiated everywhere. In all honesty, Ben didn't know what do about his new dilemma, and the thought of talking to his parents about this was horribly embarrassing.

Unable to sleep, he pulled out a data pad and began to play games, hoping to distract himself from everything else that was overwhelming him in his life.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty Four**

Two days later, Luke commed Leia and asked her and Han meet him off planet in at a popular but discreet full service hotel and recreational complex. They agreed and now were in a place called the "Hidden Life"; Han thought it must be a discreet "adult" entertainment center, and shared that with Leia. She only smiled at her husband and rolled her eyes. They had an actual tastefully done, small conference room to themselves, Luke had apparently felt they needed it for this meeting so that they remained away from any watchful eyes.

Much to her relief, Han finally stopped pacing and settled beside her on the small sofa in the room. She took his hand in hers and squeezed it until he looked back at her.

"That's a strong grip you have, Princess."

"Comes from having to keep a Scoundrel in line."

"Anyone I know?"

"You might. He's terribly handsome but stubborn as hell."

"Sounds like I'd like him. I hear his wife is gorgeous but equally stubborn."

"Yes, they make quite a pair."

He turned to her and placed his hand on her cheek, stroking it tenderly, it was one of his favorite physical expressions of love. "Rumor has it that he is hopelessly in love with his wife."

"Rumor has it that she is hopelessly in love with her scoundrel."

Unable to resist her, he placed a sweet, but lingering kiss on her lips, knowing she was seeking comfort and nothing more in that moment. Then they leaned back against the sofa waiting for what seemed like an endless amount of time for Luke to show up, neither one of them trying to think past the moment, both eager and afraid of the news Luke would bring them.

Luke entered the small suite twenty minutes later, it was clear from his attire and windswept appearance he had come directly from the hanger. He breezed in and kissed Leia's cheek and shook hands with Han, settling himself in a comfortable chair across from them.

"Good to see you two," Luke offered them a smile.

"You too, kid. Now spill."

Leia nudge him. "Han, he just got here. Give him a chance to catch his breath."

"Don't care, we all know why we're here."

"He's right, Luke. Take a moment to catch your breath but we don't want to small talk. Do you want a drink?"

"Ordered a bottle of Corellian whiskey for us on my way in." A door chime sounded and a woman clad in an evocative costume, which left very little to the imagination, entered the room with a tray that had the bottle of whiskey, ice, and three glasses. Luke thanked the woman, tipped her, and gently ushered her out of the room, shutting and locking the door behind her.

"Come here often?" Han asked Luke

Luke gave Han a thoughtful glance, and finally nodded. "Often enough."

"Luke!" Leia was torn between laughter and outrage.

"I'm actually human, Leia. And since I haven't found any one steady, not even sure I would or could until I know what my future will be, I come here from time to time." He gave her a wry grin. "Sorry if I've disappointed you."

"Hell, I'm proud of you," Han said. "Didn't think you had it in you."

"Han!" Leia nudged her husband.

"What? I'm glad he has…well, something to look forward to."

Despite his best intentions, Luke blushed which caused both Leia and Han to burst into laughter.

"Well, it just goes to show you can take the Jedi out of the farm boy, but you can't take the farm boy out of the Jedi," Han drawled and they all laughed, relieving some of the tension in the room.

Han leaned forward and poured them all a drink, his without ice, and he held up his glass encouraging the others to drink their down as well.

"Tell us, Luke. Did you find her?" Han asked before Leia could utter a word.

Luke studied them and closed his eyes for just a moment as he gathered his calm to him, sheltering him from the storm that was about to break all around him when he began to answer their questions. Leia felt him put up his barriers and watched him with concern, wary.

"I followed the lead I was given and it led me someplace I didn't expect, it led me to answers that are not easy to hear."

Leia felt her heart clench in fear at the same time as she heard Han's intake of breath.

"What does that mean?" Leia asked.

"She crashed on Dunfur, a small planet barely habitable on the outer rim. That's where her captor Jasper had flown her. It appears his intent was to leave her in a small orphanage, but it is so far off the beaten track I doubt they even see the current holos. There's no way they would know you were looking for her."

"Luke! Was she there? Did you find her?" Han pleaded for an answer.

"She never made it as far as the orphanage," Luke said quietly.

There was a heavy silence in the room as neither Han or Leia wanted to ask a follow up question, both fearing the answer.

Luke poured himself another drink and slammed it back, and wiped his mouth with his sleeve before he met first Han and then Leia's eyes. "The ship he had malfunctioned and it crashed."

"Crashed?" Leia echoed.

"Han, Leia, I'm sorry, so terribly sorry. There were no survivors."

The silence in the room was deafening.

"What exactly does that mean? No survivors?" Han stammered.

Leia remained silent though her face had gone ashen.

"You know what that means," Luke leaned forward, speaking as gently as possible.

"That's impossible, Bre can't have…died. I would know it."

Luke gave his brother-in-law a curious look. "How?"

"I don't know, damnit! I just know…well…I'd know."

"But I've felt her, all this time, I've felt her through the force, Luke." Leia shook her head. "Not enough to find her, but enough to know she was alive somewhere."

"That feeling wasn't real," Luke said.

"But through the force…"

"The best way I can explain it is it's like when someone loses a limb, for many people they still feel the limb even though it's no longer there."

"You're saying I imagined feeling my daughter is alive?" Leia raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"Yes, Leia."

"Well I don't believe it. I refuse to believe it!" Han stood up and shook his finger at Luke. "My daughter couldn't have died in that crash!"

"There's no other explanation."

"Did you see her body?" Han asked in a harsh whisper.

"No, the crash happened shortly after you were taken."

"Her remains should still be there," Han said in a shaky voice.

"I found this," Luke reached in his travel bag and very carefully pulled out a small Wookie doll that had been Breha's most prized possession, passed from Ben to her. Luke placed it on the coffee table in front of Han and Leia.

Leia reached out and picked up the doll and pulled it to her as if she was holding Breha against her and she began to cry. Unable to process what had happened, she reached for Han, who gathered her up in his arms, his tears mixing with hers.

Luke retreated to a corner of the room, feeling like he was intruding on their grief, and knowing he was the cause of it. He remained silent until some time later when they took notice of him again. Han removed Leia from his arms, and he stood up wiping his eyes.

"I have to leave," he said, more to Leia than Luke. "I have to go clear my head."

Leia nodded and as their hands clutched each other desperately and their foreheads pressed against one another. "You'll be back?"

Han noted the anxiety in her voice and leaned forward to place a soft kiss of assurance on her lips. "You ain't getting' rid of me, Princess…even though you probably should…"

"I never, ever, want to get rid of you…"

Han kissed her again, almost desperately. "I gotta go, Leia…I can't let you see me like this anymore…" he gently untangled himself from his arms, and without another backward glance, escaped out the door shutting it behind him.

Leia stared after the door for a long time before turning back to the room and Luke's silent observations.

"You're still here?"

"Sorry."

Something different about Luke, something she couldn't quite put her finger on, something she couldn't quite find through her unending grief. Luke's head was bowed and she knew he must have felt the sorrow pouring out of her and Han, and a small part of her felt sorry she couldn't shield him from that. She wanted to say something to Luke, but there was nothing to say, no point in shooting the bearer of bad news. Without being conscious of it, her mind reached out to touch Luke's to offer him what small comfort she could and to let him know she didn't blame him for what he had told them.

That's when she found it; a small glimmer through his shields that was out of place, the memory of Breha from a few days ago that shone through so brightly he couldn't hide it despite his best efforts.

She almost fainted at the knowledge and had to clutch the table in support. When she could catch her breath, she raised her face and looked over to see Luke's dark blue eyes staring back at her.

Emotions warred within Leia as she gazed into her brother's sad face; joy and relief that her baby girl was alive; shock and betrayal that her brother had lied to her and Han.

Leia straightened herself up, marched over to Luke, gazed intently into his eyes and slapped him across his cheek, hard. "How dare you? How dare you hide her from us and tell us she is dead? What in the seven Hells of Carnage is wrong with you?"

The rage in Leia was palpable but still Luke stood quietly, barely moving in the face of it.

"Don't stand there like an idiot! Say something."

"You know my reasons. For me to do this you must know how important it is to the entire galaxy."

"I am tired of making the galaxy safe at the cost of my family, at personal cost to me," she managed to grind out through clenched teeth. "We made our decision. You have no right to do this!"

"I have every right. I am the last Jedi…"

"That doesn't give you the right to do this to us!"  
"Look again, Leia, look into the force and see what I see," Luke touched his fingers to her temple and she saw what he saw. He saw Rey, grown and beautiful. Full of spirit and energy and shining like a beacon of hope,

"That's Breha?"

"Yes," Luke whispered with great reverence. "She will grow into this beautiful young woman if she is kept hidden, kept safe."

Leia abruptly disconnected from his vision. "That's not the only bright future I've seen for her," she crossed her arms in front of her.

"Maybe not, but you know it's the best. You know it's the safest. Can you really throw it all away?"

The silence between them lengthened until Leia, just to have something to do poured herself another shot of whiskey, the same kind Han always kept around the house. _Han!_ Her heart lurched at the thought of him and his sorrow, the pain she could still feel from him.

"What you ask is impossible."

"You're strong, Leia, you can do this. It's for the greater good, I know you can see that."

"I can't, Luke. What about Han? He's devastated!"

"You can't tell him the truth, Leia."

"He's my husband."

"You know he won't rest until he finds her."

Leia scowled at her brother, clearly not liking the path this conversation was taking.

"And you're not going to tell me where she is."

"I'm sorry, Leia, but no."

Anger boiled over in her and reacting instinctively to him, she threw out her hand and he flew against a nearby wall. Startled he regarded her from the floor with some apprehension.

"Leia, that's the path to…"

"…the dark side, yes, Luke, I'm fully aware of your beliefs."

"Then you know you shouldn't use the force like that."

"Forgive me but my only brother has hidden my child from me, and told both my husband and me that she is dead," the sarcasm in her voice made Luke flinch.

"You feel betrayed."

Leia gave him a 'can you really be so stupid' look and growled at him, only to have Luke raise his hands up in a gesture of surrender as he picked himself off the floor and slowly went over to his sister.

"Please, please, think this out before you tell Han. Remember what I showed you," he intoned in a grave voice, and with a final squeeze on Leia's tense shoulder, he turned and left the room, shutting the door behind him.

Numbed by what she knew both for the present and the future, she pulled the bottle of whiskey to her along with her glass and sat down at the table. They had the room all night and Leia thought she would use a good portion of it here, drinking herself into oblivion.

88888888888888888888888888888888888

 _AN: Remember that reviews make an author's day! I know this is a story filled with angst but I hope you are enjoying it and would love to hear from you. Thanks for reading._


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty Five**

It used to be that whenever Han stressed out he could go to his ship and fix something but now he didn't have a ship, and due to his incompetence he had lost the thing most precious to him in the world, his daughter. He was numb, and at the same time angry, furious with the world, the galaxy for taking away the precious little girl that was created out of so much love between he and Leia. He walked and walked, and finally found a seedy, little dive bar in the bad part of town. A place he would have inhabited in his past but the kind of place that hardly crossed his mind these days because Han Solo, independent marketer and smuggler had turned into Han Solo, respectable family man and he couldn't imagine anything better, at least not until tonight.

He ordered several drinks and sat down, in the back of the dimly light bar, hiding in the shadows as he used to do. It was with a start and a bit of surprise he realized he wasn't comfortable doing this anymore. He inhaled his first drink, and stared at his next one, and inhaled that one too. The warmth left a comforting path down to his stomach, and he ordered two more. When those were ingested he realized he was starting to feel a bit fuzzy, but he was glad because maybe it would allow him to think less.

He watched as a dangerous looking, well groomed, dark haired man dragged a young woman, a teenager into the bar. She was kicking and screaming and doing her damnedest to escape her tormenter, but was unable to do so. With an oath, the man raised his hand and slapped her so hard the woman fell to the floor with a shriek of pain. The man raised his hand to strike her again, but felt his hand suddenly immobilized, and he turned around to find it held from behind by a man who seemed strangely familiar.

"Best mind your own business," the unsavory local snarled.

"Having respect for women is my business. It's something you should do too," Han said in a lazy drawl. "Now save us both some trouble and tell her you're sorry…like you mean it."

The well-dressed man curled his lips back in contempt, and gestured to the crying girl on the floor. "Shez none of your biznus. Leave before you get hurt."

"You think this is my first time in a place like this?" Han laughed, feeling completely reckless. "Come on, Chuckles. Let's see what you got."

The man gave Han a pointed smile and raised his eyebrow, and Han cursed his slow reasoning as he suddenly understood the man had not come to the bar alone. The man he had been speaking to drew out a large, dangerous, dirty blade, and Han knew that if it sliced him he was in trouble. Then he heard the footsteps of two men closing behind him and he ducked, tripping one who went sprawling to the floor, and grabbing the other by his arm. Han heard a satisfying pop as the man screamed in pain and fell to the floor holding his shoulder. The one who had fallen was trying to get to his feet, Han managed to kick him when he felt the sharp blade of the leader nick the side of his face and felt the blood run down his cheek. Han whirled and caught the man in the ribs, landing a solid punch which staggered the man and made him groan in pain.

Han was caught off guard when the man on the floor somehow got behind him and pulled his arms back, letting the man with the knife stand up and charge him. Han lifted his feet up and booted the man as hard as he could and was gratified to see him fall to the floor in a heap. Then he bent over and flipped the man who had been holding him, and his assailant fell to the floor with a crash.

He was furious at their treatment of the girl who was quivering in a corner in the dark, mad at all the things that could and probably would happen to her here at the hands of this scum. He kneed his last assailant in the ribs, and fell on top of him, pinning him to the ground as he began to pound him with relentless, savage punches. He was so lost in his anger that he forgot to pay attention to his original antagonist who had picked up his knife, and before Han had a chance to register he was up, he felt the knife bury itself in his back. In a move that surprised the man, Han grabbed him by his head and threw him down before him, and when he was on the ground he smashed the man's head against the ground, rendering him immediately unconscious.

He stopped long enough to rest on his hands and knees before he managed to get up. The knife was deep and he could feel the blood dripping down his back and sides. It didn't feel like a lethal wound but he knew better to remove it without medical help. Gritting his teeth, took a deep breath and let his eyes search the area for the girl. She was cowering in a dark corner so he went over to her, and gently coaxed her out into the dim light. Her face was bruised and she had a cut, but that was all the damage he could see from her time here tonight. He had no way of knowing what atrocities she had suffered in her life to this point, but he wanted to make it better.

"What's your name, honey?" He asked.

"Mia," she said in a small voice.

"How old are you, Mia?"

"Sixteen, sir."

Sir? Han almost laughed.

"Tell you what, Mia, I want to help you, will you let me?"

Unsure of what to do, or if Han could be trusted, she nodded. There was no one else.

"Come over her, and sit by me."

She gave him a wary glance, but took a seat at the bar as he stood by her. He pulled out his comm unit which, much to his surprise, was still working, and placed a call to some local law enforcement friends of his so they could clean up the mess and arrest the criminals scattered across the floor. Then they could take the girl to a halfway house where she could get the help she needed, and also get him to a hospital.

He ordered a juice for the girl and another couple of whiskeys for himself while they waited for the police to arrive.

 _Guess I'm not going to make it home tonight after all._

 _8888888888888888888888888888888_

The door buzzed unceremoniously at three o'clock in the morning, just shortly after Leia had made her way home from the entertainment center. When she got home, she thanked her foresight for making sure that Ben was spending the night away from home.

Han wasn't home yet but she wasn't surprised for despite his best intentions she knew how upset he really was, how his sorrow poured off of him at Luke's announcement. But at three o'clock in the morning, feeling despondent and inebriated herself, she couldn't process the additional information she got from Luke, the actual truth of things.

She wobbled her way into the kitchen and squinted at the light of the door opening, surprised to see a very pale Han supported by two strong men.

"Hiya, Sweetheart," he rasped, leaning heavily on the men.

"Han? What happened to you?" Han was sagging against his assistants so she asked them. "What happened to him?"

"Seems Mr. Solo here took it upon himself to rescue a girl, but by doing that he got knifed in the back."

"He what? Oh, Han." She rushed over to him but he was barely conscious so she looked at his attendants. "Why is he here? Why isn't he in the hospital?" She was sobering up quickly.

"He was in the hospital, and they released him to your care. If you are unable to take care of him he is to go back immediately. He shouldn't be here but refused to stay there."

She smiled at the exasperation in their voices. "Han, you need to be in a hospital."  
"Tired of hospitals, just want to be home," he muttered.

"Oh, Han."

"Where would you like him?" One of the men who supported him asked.

"The bedroom, follow me."

They did as she asked, and after opening the door, gently got him situated in the bed. Leia was appalled to see the bruising on Han's side and the cuts on his face, and then she saw the large bandage on his back. She turned to them her face a mask.

"What kind of injuries are we talking about?"

"Bruising, multiple lacerations, and a deep stab wound. Fortunately it didn't appear to hit anything vital, but the bleeding was extensive. It was early to release him but he made such a fuss about getting home that it seemed in his best interest to bring him here. If he has any issues you are not to wait but take him back to the emergency room. Do you understand?"

Leia nodded, and watched her husband who was almost asleep.

"I saved her, Leia. I saved the girl. Got her…into a good place," he mumbled.

"He did a good thing, Senator," one of the attendants said. "From what I understand a group of criminals attacked a girl, a teenager in a less than reputable bar. General Solo here defended her and managed to put down every one of his three assailants who are now spending their night in jail and have a prison sentence in their future." The man stepped back and nodded his head in respect for Han. "He's a remarkable man, Princess. I hope he gets better."

They bowed their head in respect to her and Han and left the apartment suite, leaving Leia alone with her drug riddled husband, who for some reason was struggling to remain awake.

She sank down beside him on the bed and held his hand between the two of hers. "What am I going to do with you? You could have been killed!"

"It wuz…a good reason…saved the girl…name was…Mia…" he rasped. He somehow managed to blink his weary eyes open and looked at her and offered her a weak smile. "Promised I'd come home…didn't I?"

"Oh, Han," she shook her head, there were tears in her eyes.

"Think I made…the holovids…how 'bout that?" At last he closed his eyes and Leia knew he would finally sleep, just as she knew why he had done all the things he had tonight. He was searching for something to bring him a semblance of peace, seeking a way to prove he could fight for others and protect them, just as he would for Breha. And for tonight he had proved that very thing, and with the pain, and the drugs, he was finally able to forget enough to sleep, at least for the night.

Leia breathed as she got undressed and slipped into bed beside him. "I don't know what to do," she murmured to her nearly sleeping husband.

"The right thing," he mumbled from his incoherent sleep, "always do the right thing…"

And Leia watched as he finally slipped into a drug induced sleep that would probably be free from his nightmares.

 _The right thing? Just what was the right thing?_ She drank a lot in order to forget as well, but somehow it had only made things clearer and more in focus, letting her mind traverse worn paths in her thought process over and over again. _What was the right thing? How could she possibly decide?_

Exhaustion finally catching up with her she finally closed her eyes, and fell into a restless slumber beside her sleeping husband.

 _8888888888888888888888888888888_

Much to her surprise, in the two days since Han had been home he had followed his strict medical instructions without a word of protest, and Leia found the fact to be worrisome. Han hated the need to be treated medically and rebelled against that and doctors every chance he could, driving the medical personnel crazy with his insistence he was all right and didn't need their help. He was a lousy patient.

Only now, at this particular time, he was being a good patient. He did everything Leia asked him to do, even saw the medical staff that stopped by and uttered not a word of complaint, he was being a model patient, which meant something was definitely wrong with her husband.

It was so obvious that even without the force, she would know what it was, Han was depressed. Depressed in a way she had never seen him be, and it was scaring the hell out of her. He acknowledged her and others that went in to see him, but said very little. For all of the times she had told him she couldn't wait for him to shut up, she wanted to take it all back, because silent, despondent Han was unnerving and upsetting as he was the center of her life.

She had poked, prodded, teased, complemented, encouraged and today she even started baiting him in order to get a genuine response to her, but nothing. The only time he had responded to anyone was when Ben went in and spent some time with him.

Han had held himself together for Breha, but his promise to find her and bringing her home had been broken in the most tragic of ways, shattered because he believed her dead, and he no longer had any hope. And without hope, it seemed he had nothing for he was breaking in front of her eyes.

She could undo this, all of it just by telling him the truth, telling Han that one of his best friends had lied to his face about the fate of his beloved daughter, destroy another relationship in the process.

The possibility existed that if she was quiet and patient, and bided her time Luke would finally trust her enough to tell her where Breha was, but it meant she couldn't tell Han. She also had to consider Ben's future, because she knew he was having force related nightmares, that he had trouble controlling the force powers which ran through him, and the only one she knew that could help him was Luke. _If Luke and Han had a blow out and wouldn't talk to each other, then who would help Ben in the future? Luke was the last Jedi knight and without his help how could Ben be all right?_

Too many chaotic thoughts spun through Leia's mind, and despite her reluctance, she needed to talk to Luke again, and put all her cards on the table. _Maybe there was something Luke hadn't told her yet? Maybe there was a way to make this work for everyone._

The dread in the pit of her stomach had formed a knot that she didn't know how to undo, she wasn't sure what to do to help her family which was coming apart at the seams, she didn't know how to stop them all from unravelling. She didn't plan to pin her hopes on Luke given his mindset, but she had nowhere else to turn, so with shaking hands she reached for her Comm and punched in Luke's code.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter Twenty Six**

The upscale entertainment complex where she had met Luke just a couple of days before was where she decided to meet Luke again. She was running late when she arrived and looked for Luke and saw he had taken a private table in the corner.

She took a moment to gather herself together and then marched over to the table, drawing out a chair to sit across from him. She studied her brother in silence for several minutes. Luke waited quietly knowing she would talk when she was ready.

"I don't want to have this conversation," she said at last.

"You don't have to, Leia. You only need to do what you feel is right."

"I don't know what's right anymore. I don't know what I feel anymore." She shook her head. "What I do know is that Han needs me. And Ben needs me."

"How is he?" Luke's concern was genuine, Han was his best friend, and brother in law.

"Luke, I've never seen him like this." She paused and looked at her brother. "You heard what happened?"

"Hard to miss, it was all over the news. He saved that girl, Mia, from some thugs."

"Yes, that."

"Did you know the leader is a well-known crime-lord?"

Leia snorted. "I found that out after the fact."

"Did Han know?"

"No, blame it on sheer, dumb luck. Leave it to him."

"What was he doing there?"

"Picking a fight, I think. He saw the girl was in trouble and he had to help her."

"To prove he could."

"To prove he wasn't a failure and that he could protect someone," Leia's voice was sad.

"Because he lost Breha."

"Yes, Luke, because as far as he knows his daughter is dead when in truth you have her hidden away from us, her parents."

"Leia, you know why." Luke leaned forward, his gaze intense.

"He can't bear this, Luke. After everything he's been through the last couple of years, this is the thing that is breaking him. Gods, he's even being a good patient!"

"Han? A good patient? That's never happened has it?" Luke wrinkled his brow as he sifted through his memories.

"No, and it's exactly what I mean, he's listless, quiet, the only spark of interest he's shown is when Ben comes to visit him."

Luke dropped his head and studied the table for a long moment. "I'm sorry," he said at last as he looked at her.

"Luke, this is Han, your brother-in-law, your best friend, and that's all you can offer?"

"What do you want me to say?"

"I want you to end this charade and tell me where Breha is," Leia snapped. "We made a decision and you have no right to change it."

"You don't understand the weight of the decision I have to make, do you think I did this lightly? Do you really think I don't know how much this will hurt all of you? I love you, Leia, all of you are my family."

"Then let us be your family and respect our decisions!"

"Let me show you again," Luke reached for her hand and began to close his eyes, but she shook his hand off, her eyes snapping with anger.

"No! No! No! I don't care what you think, it's my family!" Leia screamed at him and the table began to shake.

"Leia, calm down, please. We are not alone."

She took a deep breath and looked around, realizing the truth of Luke's words, and concentrated on calming herself. When she turned to Luke her eyes were still angry. "Tell me where my daughter is."

"No." Luke shook his head. "I'm sorry, Leia, but it's for the greater good."

The drink in front of Leia disappeared as she slammed it back and motioned for the waitress to bring more.

"That won't help," Luke said.

"You think I don't know? You think Han doesn't know?" Leia took a deep breath, once again trying to calm herself. "We need our daughter back."

The two siblings locked gazes and Leia felt Luke ask for entrance to her mind, and after only a brief hesitation, she granted it.

 _What?_ She demanded.

 _I thought it might be easier to talk here, without everyone hearing. You love your daughter, I understand, but is your love so selfish that you wish her dead?_

 _You know that isn't true._

 _Then look, Leia, see what I see._

 _Why won't you see what I see, what Han sees?_

Luke paused and she could tell he was searching for a delicate way to phrase his next words _. Han, can't see anything related to the force because he doesn't have it, and Leia, your visions are wrong._

 _Who are you to decide that?_

Luke didn't answer because she knew the answer to that.

The thoughts were whirling through Leia's mind almost too fast for her to catch and focus on them. She knew her brother was a good man and was willing to do whatever it took to follow his vision to keep Breha safe. _And that was ultimately what she wanted, wasn't it? What Han wanted? For their daughter to grow up safe and sound; to grow up into the amazing young woman they both knew she could be._

She rubbed her temple trying to prevent a headache from forming.

 _Could this actually be the right path? And if it was how could she help Han? His heart was breaking and she didn't know how to help him._

 _It is, and I have some suggestions for Han._

Leia hissed at Luke. _Don't you do that. Don't you answer things I haven't even asked yet._

 _Sorry._

A few beats and Leia mentally spoke to her brother again _. If, and I do mean if I go down this path, how can you help Han?_

 _If you do this, some things will need to be done, for both Han and Ben._

 _Ben?_

 _I will block his contact to Breha, otherwise he will know she is alive._

 _Han too?_

 _How can he mentally have contact with her? He doesn't have the force._

 _They have a bond, I don't understand it, but it's there._

 _I can check on that, but I can offer to heal him, at least take off the deep end of the grief. I should be able to make it possible so he can live with his grief._

 _At her death?_

Luke nodded slowly.

 _What about me?_

 _I don't understand._

 _Can you block my connection to her?_

 _No, I can't. You're too strong._

 _But Ben…_

 _He's a child, though strong, I can still do this. It won't hurt him Leia, it will simply block out his connection to Breha until she appears again._

 _And me?_

 _You will have to block what you know from them._

 _Cut my connection to them?_

 _It's the only way._

Leia closed her eyes as she tried to control the tears she felt forming. _The entire idea was insane and she would have to close herself from those she loved the most. How could she do that?_

 _If you love her, you will._ Luke pushed the vision he had of the future Breha at Leia once again, and she was overwhelmed by her daughter's brilliance, the sheer light which shone from her. _How could she not let her reach her potential? How could she keep her from such a future?_

"Damn," Leia muttered and downed another drink, and forced Luke out of her mind.

The silence between them was so long that Luke was starting to consider some meditation exercises as he waited patiently. At this point he knew Leia wouldn't listen to anything he had to say, all he could do was wait for her to speak.

 _I can't do this, I can't do this, I can't do this,_ Leia thought to herself, trying to ignore the small voice in her head that told her this was the right thing to do. _But was the voice from what she believed or the influence Luke was using on her? And he believed it so whole heartedly that he had refused to tell her where her own daughter was. Luke was many things, but he was not cruel by nature._

Part of her mind knew very well she was strong enough to make this decision and to follow through with it, but she didn't want to listen to that part of her mind. But Luke could help Han, and Ben, and all she would have to do would be to shut off her contact with them through the force.

 _That's all,_ she thought bitterly, _break her contact with the most precious people in her life, and live with it for years. Would they hate her for all of this? Or could they survive it until Breha returned?_

She needed time to think, but she didn't want time to think, this decision was excruciating. She had to decide, she knew it, and felt the time to do it was now, not days or weeks from now.

"All right," she bowed her head in defeat, "I'll do it. But let's get it over with quickly. I can't stand to let this drag on."

"Whatever you want, Leia. I'll help however I can."

"Good, I need your help with the others, but Luke…" the tone of her voice was unlike anything he had heard before and puzzled, he cocked his head at her cool gaze. "When we're done, I don't want to see you for a while, for a good long while."

Luke felt an unexpected knot in his stomach and knew he had perhaps pushed his relationship with Leia beyond where he could repair it.

"I will let you decide that, Leia. I know how hard this is…"

Leia threw up a hand and the glasses on the table rattled again. "Don't. Even. Start. I don't want to hear your voice until we get home. We will act like normal until we do what we must. After that you will need to leave me alone until I can figure out how the new family dynamics are working. If I need you I will call you. That's it."

"Whatever you want, Leia."

"Stop saying that, none of this is what I want!" She swallowed and collected herself again. "Just be quiet until I get home."

Luke nodded, clearly sensing her turmoil and chaotic thoughts, and followed her out the door.

8888888888888888888888888888

Ben couldn't sleep, he was restless and unhappy. Han had roused himself enough to look after Ben in Leia's absence but Ben knew something really bad had happened to him. His father felt things deeply and he wasn't afraid to show his family how much he loved them, but lately he just seemed to be going through the motions, and it frightened Ben. His Dad was tough, determined and never let anything stop him no matter what and he knew his father was in a very dark place.

Ben shivered and pulled the covers over him, wishing he could just forget about everything, block everything out, and go back to when they were all happy. He wished his mother was home, her soft touches and soothing caresses always seemed to calm him even in the worst of times.

He sighed and closed his eyes and found himself once again in a dimly area, nothing in sight.

"Hello," he called out hesitantly but no answer was forthcoming. There was a pool of light in front of him brighter than the rest so he headed for that hoping for help to escape wherever he was at. As he approached he realized there was a figure on a throne, a dark figure in a cape, his face shrouded with a black hood.

Ben could feel the power of this figure but it was a dark power, one that seemed strangely familiar. He stopped and studied the grim being before him.

 _Do you know who I am?_

Ben stared at him.

 _I am Snoke._

 _You're real?_ Ben mentally gasped.

 _I've always been real, but only you can understand that._

 _Why am I here?_ Ben regarded the creature in front of him, more curious about obtaining answers than running away.

 _You had need of me._

 _I shouldn't talk to you._ Ben began to turn away, uncomfortable with the darkness he could feel from the thing on the throne.

 _But you have to, Ben. I can tell you the truth._

That stopped him in his tracks. _Truth? About what?_

 _Your family is going to lie to you. They will tell you Breha is dead, but she is not._

 _They wouldn't do that!_

 _They will. They don't want you to know the truth._

 _No, it doesn't make any sense. Ben shook his head._

 _They do it because they don't trust you, Ben. They do it because they want to hide your sister from you._

 _No!_

 _Yes. This of course only applies to your mother and your Uncle Luke…the Jedi, Snoke continued, the title laced with disdain._

 _But my Dad?_

 _Is too stupid to realize they are lying to him as well. He follows them blindly because he…loves them. Again, the voice was laced with contempt. Love is a weakness, Ben. It will never make you strong._

 _No, I don't believe it. Mom and Dad say that love makes people stronger._

 _They are wrong. I can offer you strength._ The figure paused and leaned forward so Ben could see the burning eyes under the cowl, he stepped back and swallowed trying to control the beat of his heart. _Do you feel how strong I am?_

Ben nodded.

 _I can offer you strength, I can teach you how to harness your strength. How to be a force like the universe has never seen; even stronger than your grandfather, Darth Vadar. You could finish his work, everyone would respect you and bow down to you._

For just a moment, Ben was taken in by the images that Snoke projected at him until he shook it off. _No, Darth Vadar was evil, and I think you are too._

 _Darth Vadar was powerful and his blood runs through your veins. I can feel it in you, Ben. You can too. The need to feel power, the need to be power, your potential is unlimited you only have to let me train you._

 _Instead of Uncle Luke?_

 _Yes, instead of…him. You must let me help you, but hear what your family says to you, hear how they lie to you and then when you call for me I will come. You will see, Ben, you will see,_ Snoke laughed an evil, hollow laugh that reverberated throughout Ben's dream, and he was relieved when the creature vanished and he tumbled into a restless sleep was free from any more dreams.

88888888888888888888888888888888888

 _AN: I hope you are enjoying this story – it's been really quiet out there of late. Remember writers love reviews! This story is winding down but that's okay because I have the follow up story "Unfinished Business" ready to go – that's where things really get interesting! Thanks for reading._


	27. Chapter 27

****AN: This is one of my favorite chapters...

 **Chapter Twenty Seven**

Tired of resting in bed, Han roamed the suite aimlessly, overwhelmed by the grief he felt for Breha's loss. _In his entire existence, he never thought he would meet a woman he would want to spend the rest of his life with, a woman he would want to marry for Krist's sake!_ But he had, and he loved his feisty fireball of a Princess with all of his heart. And to be blessed with not one, but two amazing children because of the love they felt for one another was a joy which created warm, mushy feelings that his former, younger self never would have admitted to, not ever. But the man he was now loved his family with all of his heart and he would never go back to what his life used to be, he didn't want to.

He loved both of his children fiercely, but Breha was special to him in a way he couldn't describe, he had a connection to her that he didn't have with Ben. Leia had seen it too, and encouraged it. When Luke told them his Little Princess had died he felt his world, his heart shatter into a million sharp shards of pain, and it was crushing him, bleeding him from the inside out and he didn't know how to stop the pain, how to remove those damnable crystalline daggers from his soul. Luke's words had destroyed his last remaining vestige of hope, and with it his drive to go on, his drive to continue on for the rest of his family.

 _His beautiful little daughter, his little Princess! He would never see his eyes looking back at him with all of the wisdom that an intelligent six-year-old could possess, he would never be scolded in the manner which reminded him of her mother, he would never hear her call him Daddy again!_

He sank into the couch, curling into a tight ball until exhaustion claimed him once again.

8888888888888888888888888888888888

The glade Han found himself in was unfamiliar as was the nearby bench he somehow seemed drawn to, the bench that seemed to entice him to sit on it. Not knowing what else to do, he seated himself and looked around at his surroundings.

It was a quiet little area, a glen on some sort of tropical world with a peaceful, serene little pool with clear water cascading down from a small waterfall. The many shades of green foliage added a sense of peace and serenity which he seldom felt in his life.

"Where the hell am I?' he mused to himself as he rubbed his jaw.

"D'Qar is where you are, or someday where you will be," said a small green creature that strolled into Han's range of vision, using a worn, gnarled walking stick to make his way over to the bench where Han sat. Without invitation the small creature climbed up on the bench, settled himself against the back of the bench, which caused his small legs to stick out in front of him like that of a small child. He studied Han with an intense gaze.

"So Solo you are?"

"Is that a comment on my marital status or my name?" Han eyed the creature with a critical eye, torn between laugher and curiosity.

"Married, you are, I know. Your name is to what I refer."

"Ahh, okay." Han continued to eye the being with curiosity. "Yeah, I'm Han Solo."

"Watched you for many years, have I."

"Huh? What? Wait. You've been watching me? Who the hell are you?"

"Ahh, introductions have I forgot, apologize I must." He sighed and did a small bow from his sitting position in Han's general direction. "Yoda am I, Jedi master I am."

"You're Yoda? You trained Luke?" Han's expression was incredulous.

"Yes, your friend Luke did I train in the ways of the Jedi."

"Oh, he never described you to me, this is great! Rich!" Han dissolved into unrestrained laughter as he regarded Yoda. "You're so…so…"

"Judge me by my size, do not," Yoda warned.

"But you, all two foot somethin' of you trained Luke?" Han was howling now and didn't notice the irritated expression on the small Jedi Master's face.

"In that pond your ass I will dump if you do not be quiet."

Han was too far gone to contain his laughter and much to his surprise and shock he was unceremoniously deposited in the pond a few seconds later. Sputtering as he surfaced, he wiped the weeds and water from his face as he marched over to face the Jedi Master, hands on his hips.

"Now you're just showin' off."

"Maybe yes, maybe no," Yoda said with a smug smile on his face.

"Whad'ya want? I mean, this is obviously a dream, right?"

"Obviously as I am no longer a living being."

"Why are you botherin' me? There's nothing I can do for you."

"Sit, Solo, and learn. To help you have I come."

Han sat down, still pulling the wet weeds out of his hair as he regarded the small wonder next to him. "And just how can you help me?"

"Much grief have you now, yes?"

Han's emotions snapped back to the present and his dead child and sorrow filled him in an instant, he buried his face in his hands.

"Yes, that is what I feared, the force allowed me to see your sorrow, feel the depth of your grief I do." He shook his head sadly. "Help you, I must, you are too important, extinguished like this you cannot be."

Han gave him a sideways glance from red rimmed eyes. "I won't even try to understand that. What in the hell did I drink before I fell asleep?" he asked himself.

"Han Solo, look at me. You must to understand my words."

For some reason which Han couldn't explain he felt compelled to do exactly as Yoda instructed him and he found himself staring into the kind large dark eyes of Master Yoda. "How can I possibly be important when I can't even keep my own family safe? I'm a low down, good for nothing…"

"Stop that you must, helpful remorse is not."

"I'm open to suggestions," he said in a dry tone.

"All is not lost, to the future you must look."

"What future?"

"Get over your grief, you must Han Solo." Yoda gently placed his hand on Han's arm. "Much there is still for you to do, much you will do to help the galaxy."

"But my daughter…"

"Is not dead." Yoda waited quietly for Han to process the news.

"What?" Han stared at him. "That's a very cruel joke."

"Joke it is not, true it is. No reason have I to lie."

"Then Luke…" The pieces fell in place and Han jumped up, his anger boiling over as he felt Luke's betrayal. "He lied to us!"

"He did, to save her he tries. He does what he feels he must, loves her too he does."

Han calmed a bit, but his eyes remained angry. "It's not his right, she's our daughter."

"True that is, but of the physical universe I am not, I cannot interfere."

"Then why are you here?"

"To ease your pain, to make sure you can go on."

"Why do you care?" Han was honestly perplexed, his eyebrows knitted in a puzzled knot.

"Because you are special."

"Me? I think you have the wrong person, Yoda. There's nothin' special about me."

Yoda studied him thoughtfully for a few moments. "Wrong you are. Tell you shall I?"

"Yeah, go ahead." Han settled back against the bench. "Can't wait to hear this."

The small Jedi Master was quiet for a bit as he collected his thoughts and he finally turned to Han.

"Glue you are."

"Excuse me?"

"Glue holds things together does it not?"

"Yeah, but…"

"Glue, you are glue. Hold together and guide the powerful pieces in the galaxy. Skywalkers they are, married to one you are."

"Okay…

"Without guidance, without grounding, rudderless will they be, bad decisions will they make."

"Hate to tell you but that's already happening," Han grimaced as he thought of Luke.

"And abilities do you possess."

Han shrugged. "We all have abilities of one sort or another. What are you getting at?"

"Look into yourself, Han Solo and you will know. Look at what you have ignored all these years."

"I haven't ignored anything."

"Spell it out, must I for you?" Yoda scowled at Han.

"Yeah, feel free. You have my attention."

Yoda sighed. "Difficult are you, correct is your wife."

"Leave Leia out of this."

Yoda tried to compose himself, he knew this man could be difficult but he had never experienced it firsthand, he took a deep breath and drew from the peaceful setting, letting the comfort of it drop around him like a cloak.

"The force it is that flows through you."

"The force?" Han's jaw dropped for just a minute before he put it back in place. "Now I know you're crazy."

"Crazy I am not. True you know it to be, but ignore it you have for all of your life. Persecuted were those with the force, buried it as a child you did and then forgot about it. If believe you did not, found it could not be."

"You're crazy! I don't have the friggin' force."

"The force works even when you think it does not. Training you did not have, knowledge you did not have, luck and confidence you do have, as well as unnatural ability to survive," Yoda looked into Han's face.

"You're sayin' that my luck, the famous Han Solo luck is the force takin' care of me?"

Yoda nodded.

"Completely ridiculous."

"No pilot, living there is that has survived asteroid fields. Twice have you done this," Yoda nodded in confirmation.

"I was just lucky…" He paused for a moment and studied the small green being. "All right, let's say I believe, I believe in humoring little guys," he reached out and rubbed Yoda's head. "So what? It just means I'm lucky."

"Means it does that the force still needs you, save the galaxy you must."

Han snorted. "Already done that."

"Again you will be needed."

"Just what are you trying to tell me?"

"You will not remember this when you wake up which is why I tell you these things now, but relieve your grief I can because go on you must."

"Why would you help me?"

"Good man you are, Han Solo, deserve this you do not. I can relieve your deep sorrow at your daughter's passing, allow your subconscious mind to know that lives she does still. To function this will help you." Yoda voice pleaded quietly. "To get to your future this you must do."

"It will help?" Han's question sounded almost desperate.

"Yes, help it will."

"How?"

"Open up your mind to me you must, remove the deep grief I can, and subconscious knowledge of your living daughter can I place. To go on with your life it will allow."

Han mused for a bit but could see nothing wrong with this plan and somehow he trusted this small green being. He could sense he was powerful, but he was also calm, and kind.

"Okay, I guess. What else?"

"The rest will be up to you, but in the future you must believe. Much pain do I see before a calm. After the long calm a violent storm will there be and deal with it you must, knowing you are the one to set things right, you are the one to repair the future."

"Me?" Han gestured to himself in disbelief. "How the kriffin' hell do you expect me to do that?"

"Your daughter will appear to you, part of you will recognize her and respond as her father you will, although you may not know why. But the pull of the dark side will Ben feel, and Leia too. Save them you must."

"Wait. What? The darkside, Ben and Leia? I don't understand."

"You cannot understand now, nor can I. The future has many different currents, which one it will take I do not know."

"How can I save them?"

"How can you not? You are their guardian, their protector and your family are they. You are the only one that can save them." Yoda nodded and turned back at the man who sat beside him. "But have faith you must, even when all seems lost. Revealed more will be when the time is right."

"Do you always talk like this?" Han growled in irritation. "Can't you give a guy a straight answer?"

"My place it is not."

Han studied the small creature for a bit and finally let out a long sigh. 'All right, Yoda. What do I have to do?"

"Ready are you to go forward with your life?" Yoda's expression perked up with happiness.

"Yeah, I can't go on like I have."

"Good, good," he mumbled nodding his approval. "Then hope for the galaxy there is, a bright future there will be…eventually."

"Eventually? What in the seven hells does that mean?"

"Stupid you are not, know the meaning you do."

"That it's going to take a while to get there."

"Yes."

Han sighed. "Fine. Do what you have to." Yoda began to reach toward him but Han put up his hand to stop the Jedi Master. "I won't remember this, you, when I wake up?"

"No. Feel better you will, bearable will be your grief. Hidden in your mind will be the knowledge your daughter is alive and well. Know that you will when it is time."

"It will be like this never happened?"

"No memory will you have."

"Will I see you again?"

"Know this I do not, but if needed, I will appear to you."

"In a dream?" Han frowned.

"Perhaps, perhaps not."

"In other words you don't know."

"No."

"Well…thanks, I mean I appreciate you're tryin' to help. I just wish you were more direct."

"That I cannot be." Yoda said sadly.

"Okay, well … nice meeting you and thanks for your help." Han extended his hand and the two shook. "You can go ahead."

Yoda reached out and as he eased Han back into a deep sleep free of dreams.

Yoda was pleased to have finally met the man he had watched for such a long time, and he was glad to have had an opportunity to relieve a portion of his grief. Yoda knew they would meet again in the future in a different time and a different place, but it was far too early to share that information with Solo, there were too many intervening years until that time.

Having done as much as possible to ease Han's suffering, to expel the unjust burden of Han's extraneous sorrow, Yoda eased himself out of the man's mind, leaving no trace of his assistance behind him. When Luke did what he could Yoda knew he would he would have no idea of what had occurred. Talented as Luke was, he still had much to learn. It was unfortunate that the way forward would be so painful for all concerned.

8888888888888888888888888888888888

The lighting in the Suite was dimmed when Luke and Leia entered, and Leia motioned for her brother to remain quiet. She noted that Han was sleeping on the couch, and even in the dim light she could see the tears streaked across his face and her heart hurt just a little more at the evidence of his pain. She swallowed and looked over at Luke whose expression was infused with sadness. Luke reached out with his hand and gently touched Han's temple. Han shifted into a more comfortable position but remained asleep, and the expression on his face eased just a bit.

Leia regarded her brother, a question in her eyes.

 _He's sleeping, I just made sure he stays in a deep sleep. Since he is here should I start with him?_

Leia studied her sleeping husband, and knew she would do anything to ease his suffering, anything to bring him back to her. Reluctantly, she nodded.

Luke sat down on the couch next to Han and again reached out and touched Han's temple, this time he closed his eyes as he focused on his intent to ease his friend's suffering. It took a few moments but he patiently worked his way past his friend's natural defenses, past the shields of his extremely strong mind and found a grief so deep it caused him a sharp intake of breath.

Luke checked his own emotions and instead concentrated on how he could help him. He found the focus of Han's grief and reminded himself to keep his own emotions in check, and did what he could to remove the deep, sharp edges of it. He then searched for the connection Leia swore he had with Breha and found it. It surprised him because it wasn't just a father daughter connection, it had force signatures linked to it. It was unusual to say the least, but since there were more important things to worry about he managed to block the connection, knowing it would open itself once again when the time was right. When he finished he gently pulled himself out of Han's mind, knowing how unhappy Han would be to find out what he had just done.

Luke heaved a sigh of relief and opened his eyes, glad he had gotten past that hurdle. He looked up to see Leia watching him with worried eyes.

 _He'll hate you if he ever finds out what you've done._

 _I know, Leia. But it should be easier for him now._

Leia's lips were compressed in a tight grimace as she regarded her brother, and Luke felt her start to reach out to Han through their bond before she stopped herself.

 _I can't do it anymore,_ she thought to herself but Luke couldn't help but hear. Nor could he deflect the pain and sadness he felt from her. Leia started as she realized Luke had probably just heard her thoughts and she scowled at him.

 _Sorry, I didn't mean to hear._ He nodded at Han. _That's all I can do for him but things should be better. Ben?_

Tightly controlled now, shields up, Leia nodded and turned to lead Luke to Ben's room.

Ben was asleep, but restless as he turned and muttered in his sleep, clearly unhappy. Without thought, giving in to her motherly instinct she walked across the room to reach for Ben, but was stopped by Luke's hand on her wrist. He shook his head.

Leia remained quiet, but scowled at him and reluctantly took a step away from her son's bedside allowing Luke to sit down beside Ben.

Eyes closed once again in concentration, Luke reached out to Ben's mind and found an impressive shield in place for one so young. Patience is a virtue and Luke began to search for the gap in the defenses which would allow him to get into Ben's mind and block the connection to Breha, setting it up much the same as he did for Han. It took a great deal longer than Luke anticipated, and he had to work hard to find the connection and block it, but he did and then got out of the boy's mind as quickly and gently as possible. When he opened his eyes again, he saw Leia staring back at him.

 _Is he all right?_

 _Yes, as good as can be expected, he's very strong._ Luke studied Ben thoughtfully for quite a while.

 _Luke, what is it?_

 _I don't know, something's not quite right. Does he still have nightmares?_

 _Yes. Why?_

 _They somehow feel, I don't know, real. Does he still take his medication?_

 _He does._

 _Should I worry?_

 _Worry no, but watch him. He may need support. The force is strong in him, I think it will cause him problems in the future. He will need training._

 _Luke…_ Her mental tone was laced with anger.

 _Not now, Leia, but later when he's older._

Leia didn't answer but seemed temporarily mollified by his answer.

Luke stood up and he and Leia left Ben's room, shutting the door quietly behind them as she escorted him to the front door. He studied her and for just a moment felt the force of her emotions, the sadness, grief and remorse that oozed out from behind her impressive shields. He was surprised when she stopped to address him.

"I need one more thing from you, Luke."

"Anything. What?"

"Show me how to make my shields stronger; strong enough so I can shut them out and keep them shut out for years." Her eyes were filled with pain and resentment that she had to ask this of Luke.

"Okay."

They sat down and spent the next hour going through ways for Leia to improve her defenses, ways that would allow her to cut off her bond from the two men in her life she loved most. When Luke had taught her all he knew about maintaining her mental shields, she knew no one could shatter her defenses if she didn't wish it, not even Luke.

Once again Luke regarded his sister with sad eyes.

 _I'm sorry, Leia, but you understand why this has to be._

 _Get out._

He gave her a puzzled look.

 _I'll call you when I need you but you need to leave._

Feeling the resentment for him flowing out of her, he nodded mutely.

 _Leia,_ he thought, and she looked back at him tears brimming in her eyes _. I'm sorry it has to be this way._

 _Sorry? Sorry?_ Her mental voice echoed disbelief at his insensitivity. _I have betrayed my family in the worst sort of way, I am lying to them about Breha's death, and now I have to live a lie for the rest of my life. When the truth is revealed I don't know if they will ever forgive me. Or you._

Luke didn't reply and Leia pointed him to the door. With a weary sigh, Luke let himself out.

Leia went to the bedroom she shared with Han, and numb from the events that had occurred, sank down onto her bed. She could think of nothing better than stepping back in time to before Han had taken Breha on that ill-fated trip to when everyone was happy. And now all she wanted was to be beside him, to have his arms around her comforting her, but she knew that after tonight she didn't deserve his comfort. She had betrayed him in a way she didn't think possible and would spend the rest of her life paying for it.

Alone with her grief, Leia buried her head in her pillow and smothered the sobs she could no longer control, no longer wanted to control. Tomorrow she could be strong but tonight she was allowed to cry for the part of her life she had given up.

8888888888888888888888888888888888

 _AN: Thanks for reading – please review (you will make my day)._


	28. Chapter 28

_AN: We are nearing the end of this story. You guys are great -thanks for all of your reviews - greatly appreciated._

 **Chapter Twenty Eight**

Han woke up early the next morning before the sun was up. With a grimace of pain he rubbed his neck, knowing he had fallen asleep in a bad position and his muscles would bother him all day. He bowed his head for just a moment and realized that though the grief was still there, he felt as if he might survive it after all and be able to be strong for his family as they were going to need that strength for them.

He stretched and stood up knowing he would need to go and talk to Leia if she had made it home. They would have to discuss how to tell Ben because he would have to know what had happened to his little sister. There was no reason to postpone it. Better he know sooner rather than wait for the perfect moment.

When he got to the bedroom he found Leia curled up in the blankets, her face buried in the pillow. He sighed. She usually only curled up like that when she was having a bad night, and if it was anything like his night he was sure it must have been miserable. Worried about the toll this horrible news was taking on her, and careful not to disturb her, he sat down on the edge of the bed and watched her sleep. The tracks of her tears were evident as were the deep stress lines and dark circles under her eyes. How could he have ever doubted her? They had both wanted the same thing, to bring Breha home, he now knew he should have never questioned that.

He leaned forward, tenderly brushed a stray lock of hair away from her face, and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "Love you," he murmured and started to stand up. He was surprised when he felt her two hands holding his and he looked down at her.

"Didn't mean to wake you," he said.

"You didn't, not really. I couldn't sleep."

'Somehow I did. It was the damnedest thing cause I know I had some really strange dreams."

"Do you remember any of them?" There was a deep concern for him in her voice which only served to warm his heart more at her compassion for him when she was certainly feeling as bad if not worse than he was over what had happened.

"Not really, I guess they were somethin' though because I woke up feeling exhausted, and I have a headache." He grimaced. "I'll blame it on stress."

"I'm sorry," she said and looked like she was going to cry.

"For what? You didn't do anything." He shook his head and sat down beside her. "I don't know how you can look at me and not want me out of your life."

"Why would I want that?"

"You know why."

"Bre."

"Yeah. I'm the screw up that couldn't even protect my own daughter and now she's…"

Leia suddenly threw herself into his arms and buried herself against his chest. "Please don't say it, I don't want to hear it.""

"Honey, we have to face facts. Our daughter is gone and there's nothing we can do to get her back." He sucked in a deep breath and swallowed convulsively. "And we have to tell Ben. I think sooner is better than later."

"We do, don't we?" Leia drew back and stared into Han's face. "Oh, he'll hate us."

Han grimaced. "Me, you mean."

"No, Han, that's not what I mean."

"It's okay. I lost her and it's how I expect him to react."

They were quiet for a few minutes as she settled back against him, content to hear the strong beating of his heart in his chest. "It's not fair," she finally said.

"No, none of this is fair." He sighed and kissed the top of her head. "We'll have to concentrate of Ben, give him all the love we would have given Bre," he stopped and abruptly cleared his throat, and unable to say anything that would matter, she continued to let her head rest on his chest, gathering strength from his touch.

She nodded against him.

"And if you can somehow forgive me," his voice cracked just a little and she knew he was collecting himself once again before he continued, "I'll do whatever I can to make it up to you and Ben."

Leia raised her head off his chest and looked at him. "Han, I've never wanted anyone else…only you…no matter what…" She paused and she paused to collect herself, and she reached up ran her fingertips over his check as she stared into his hazel eyes now dark with sadness. "Only you, Han, and I hope someday you can forgive me…"

"For what?" He wrinkled his brow in puzzlement.

"For…everything I've done wrong…I've made mistakes too."

"We both have." He swallowed with difficulty. "How about we go through this together?"

She nodded.

"Okay. So we tell Ben together?"

"Yes, when he gets up."

"All right. Good." Han pulled her close again and held her tight.

"Han, it's early, Ben won't be up for hours."

"I know, I was going to let you go back to sleep."

"I don't think I can."

"Me neither."

Leia pulled back in his arms and regarded him again. "Then stay here. Hold me." She paused searching his face. "I love you, I always will no matter what. I can only hope you feel the same way."

"Leia? Don't you know how much…" His expression was wounded, hurt because after all of this time she would say such a thing.

"Never mind, Han. I'm just worrying too much, there's just too much to deal with now."

"Yeah, I know. Okay then, let's just rest here for a while."

"Sounds good."

Han stripped down to his boxers and crawled under the covers with Leia, and she snuggled close, relieved to be in his arms, the only place she ever felt secure and truly loved. She had a couple of hours to enjoy the feel of this and then it would be time to face their son with the devastating news that his beloved sister was gone. Leia wondered how he would react and pushed the thought away, determined to get the most out of the time she had with her husband before the rest of the chaos in their life became an issue again. She mentally prepared herself for the upcoming ordeal and began to put up her defenses, knowing they would have to be impregnatable.

She took a deep breath and tried to get closer to Han who rubbed her back in a soothing manner, silently dealing with his own tragic demons.

8888888888888888888888888888888888

They were on their third cup of caffe by the time Ben awoke, silent, waiting to deal with the solemn conversation they were going to have with their son. There was no plan, no way to ease him into the reality of what had happened and the only way Han knew was to face the situation head on, so when he heard Ben open his door and come into the dining room he greeted him with a small smile.

"Hey, Ben."

"Dad, Mom." He watched them for a moment and immediately knew something was wrong. "What is it?"

"Would you like some breakfast, kid?"

Ben gave his Dad an incredulous look, already knowing his appetite was gone. He shook his head, stomach rumbling angrily but whether it was from hunger or worry he wasn't sure. "What's wrong?"

"Ben, we need you to sit down with us," Leia said and gestured at the sofa where Ben obligingly sad down between his mother and his father, and he could feel the shroud of sadness that hung over them, his father especially, and he placed his hand on Han's arm. "Dad? Tell me."

"I'm sorry, Ben. I'm so sorry…"

Alarmed his gaze flashed to Leia who sat passively, biting her lip, eyes wide with concern for her son. "Mom?"

"It's Breha…"

"No!" Ben put his hands on his ears and covered them.

"Ben, you have to hear this," Leia said and gently pulled his hands down.

"Ben, she's…" clearly Han was struggling to speak the words and Ben felt the knot in his stomach turn into a rock. "…she's…gone…" Han swallowed and looked into Ben's face, lines of grief etched on his own.

"No, it's not true."

"It is true, Bre…won't be coming home," Leia whispered.

'We'll find her, Dad, you said we would go search for her when you're better. You're better now, aren't you?" Ben desperately reached out and grasped his father's arm.

"I'm still getting better, Ben, but…you're mom's right. Bre won't be coming home."

"We can't give up, we can find her. You said so!" He yelled at his father.

"Ben, you don't understand." Han swallowed and somehow got out the most difficult words he had ever spoken in his life. "Breha, your sister…she won't be coming home because…because she's dead. She died in a crash."

The silence in the room was unbearable as Ben sat back against the couch, his face ashen, his breathing rapid. "No, no, no," he mumbled. "No, not Bre…not Bre…"

"Ben, it's okay…it will be okay," Leia tried to soothe her son, gently taking his hands in her own, but he had pushed himself back against the couch his eyes tightly shut.

 _Ben!_

 _No! Leave me alone!_

 _I told you they would lie to you! Breha isn't dead._

 _They love me, they won't lie to me._

 _They are lying. Your sister is alive. Feel her._

Instinctively Ben reached out for his connection with Breha, but it wasn't there, so he tried harder and finally found it. Something had changed, his connection to her was dulled, but he could tell she was still alive.

 _She's alive!_

 _Yes_ , whispered the malevolent voice in his head, she's alive. _They are lying to you._

"Ben, son, are you all right?"

Ben opened his eyes and Han saw the anger in his son's face. "You're lying!"

"No, Ben, we're not. Why would we do that?" The pain in Han's voice was honest and Ben was temporarily confused, and he looked at his mother who watched him with concern.

"She's alive," he told her. "Try! You can feel her."

Han looked at Leia hope slowly beginning to appear on his face. "Leia?"

Leia shook her head, and hated herself for the dying hope on Han's face. "No, Han. I don't feel her. I'm sorry."

"S'okay. I knew better."

"You're wrong, Mom! She's alive."

 _She isn't listening to you;_ the voice was back in Ben's head and his eyes widened in confusion.

"Ben, we wish it were true, but it's not. The man that took her crashed the ship she was in on a planet…and no one survived. Luke found her…"

"Uncle Luke is a liar!" Ben wailed.

 _Tell them the truth. Let them know you know the truth._

"Ben! Stop! This is hard enough." Han began to lose his temper and it took a moment to get it back under control.

 _They're lying, Ben. Tell them._

"You're lying! Stop lying to me!" Ben yelled at his parents. "She's alive."

"Ben…" Leia began and Ben vaulted off the couch to stand in front of her. "Why are you lying? She's alive. I know you know!" Ben's eyes snapped with anger as he stared into his mother's eyes and Leia couldn't help but shiver.

Leia shook her head. "I'm sorry, Ben. It's true. She…died in the crash."

"No!" He howled.

Han and Leia stood up and rushed to Ben's side as he pushed them away.

They're lying to you, Ben. Tell them. Don't let them do that to you.

"Stop lying to me!"

"Ben, we're not lying," Han's face has blanched as this despite his efforts to be strong this conversation was taking its toll on him.

Ben stopped, and stared into his father's bright hazel eyes and it occurred to him he believed what he was telling him, that maybe he didn't know any better, his grief seemed to raw, too painful.

 _He's a fool and weak. Emotional. Ask him if he believes you._

Ben hesitated.

 _Go on, ask him._

"Dad?'

"What is it, Ben?' Ben stared into his father's hazel eyes so filled with pain, and knew his own dark eyes were a mirror of that feeling.

"Please believe me. Bre's alive. Uncle Luke and Mom are lying." He shot a quick look at his Mom who seemed shocked by his words.

Han exchanged a long look with Leia, mentally searching for their bond which seemed to be missing and regarded her with helpless frustration. Leia met his gaze for only a moment, gave him a shrug of not knowing what to do with this situation and then looked towards the floor.

Ben waited, holding his breath. _Please, Dad, please believe me._

"Ben.." Han reached out and pulled Ben to him into a tight hug. "I know this is hard, but your Mom, and…Uncle Luke wouldn't lie about…this."

 _He's too stupid to know the truth._

"Why won't you believe me? They're lying!" he shouted at Han.

"Ben, why do you think I'd lie to you?" Leia was clearly disturbed by Ben's words.

"I don't know," tears were now streaming down his face, "I thought you loved me. I thought you loved her…"

 _They don't love her, Ben. And they don't love you._

Ben stepped away from his parents watching them in growing fear.

 _How long until they get rid of you too?_

"Ben!" Han yelled as the boy turned and fled back to his room, shutting the door behind him.

8888888888888888888888888888888888

His bed seemed cold and uncomfortable and his head was filled with images, almost too many for him to process as they hurled through his mind much faster than he had ever experienced before, images somehow seemed off, but he didn't know how. Pictures in his mind that seemed so real… had he lived this or was it his imagination?

Images, so many images. Somehow he saw himself as a child in his mother's arms, as a toddler with his father helping him walk, but the images were fuzzy, distorted, like a lens that was out of focus. He saw his toddler self fall and saw the laughter in his father's eyes not wanting to believe it was true, he saw his mother sheltering him when his father came home drunk and how she quickly tucked him in bed only to hear her screaming his father's name in pain as he took her into their bedroom. He remembered being introduced to the new baby sister, how she was so little and ugly, but he loved her anyway, how his parents ignored him to be with her. His tantrums at school and how they tried to get him on medication despite his not wanting it; the way they forced him to do things he didn't want to do…the images seemed so real that he had to believe them.

 _They try to control you,_ Snoke whispered. _Don't let them._

 _They love me._

 _They don't love you. They hate you. Especially your father._

 _Dad loves me!_

 _It's what Ben would say._

 _But I'm Ben!_

 _You don't have to be! Be strong! Be someone else!_

 _Why?_

 _Are you angry?_

 _Yes._

 _Now, at this moment because of what they've done, do you hate them?_

 _No. I love them._

 _That's Ben. Be someone else and express what you feel._

 _I love them._

 _They're lying to you! Your father won't believe you; he'd rather believe your mother._

 _But she's lying!_

 _How do you feel?_

 _Mad!_ A toy X wing fighter flew off the shelf and across the room.

 _Good! Express your emotions! Let the anger go through you!_

The toys in the room all began to shake off their shelves as Ben began to give in to his anger.

 _Don't control it, let it go. Be someone else! Someone who has the power to use their anger!_

 _I'm Ben…_ Ben clenched his jaw and tried very hard to control his rage but the truth was that it felt good to release his anxiety and anger and he began to open to it. Maybe if he did stop thinking as Ben, stopped trying to be the perfect child for his demanding parents…

 _Yes, let it flow._

The toys were flying, controlled by an invisible force as Ben opened his senses and with a scream of pure fury sent all of the toys hurling towards one another in one loud crash that shook the room.

 _Who are you?_

Ben was breathing heavily, exhausted, but relieved from the energy he had expended and feeling oddly strong.

 _Who are you?_

 _My name is Kylo._

8888888888888888888888888888888888

The door was locked when Han and Leia rushed to Ben's room as soon as the ruckus began and despite their calls, Ben didn't answer and they couldn't get the door open. Han was ready to go and look for an axe or something similar when they heard a loud bang, all the noise stopped, and Ben's door was suddenly unlocked.

They rushed in to find Ben's room a mess, room askew and broken toys everywhere, Ben collapsed on the bed.

As Han rushed over to the bed, Leia paused for just a moment to gather herself together, realizing this was only the start of the extending lie that she shared with Luke, and she prayed her family would survive her intuitive decision about their future. There was no turning back at this juncture, too much damage had already taken place.

She went over to Ben's side to assist Han in reviving their son. It was clear he needed their help more than ever if they were to get him through the illness issues as well as the force issues he was facing.

Tenderly brushing a stray lock of hair away from his face, she stared at her son and for just a moment felt something, something too rapid to catch but something not normal. She shivered, suddenly worried over the future of her son, a wrinkle that she hadn't seen in her visions.

 _Forgive me, Ben. I love you,_ she thought and started to project her love to her son but stopped herself when she remembered she had to keep her inner walls locked down.

 _What have I done?_


	29. Chapter 29

_AN: Hi, I feel the need to finish this so that I can get on to other stories (I'm not cutting the story short - just posting the end quicker) so I'm posting up the last of it. The last chapter will give you a timeline for this AU series and some other thoughts by me. Read or not, all up to you. Reviews have been really quiet for a while but are always appreciated. Since we are done I'd love to hear what you think. Thanks for reading._

 **Chapter Twenty Nine**

 **Two years later**

It was late when Leia got home from work. The debates in the Senate had dragged on much longer than expected and no matter that she wanted to get home to her boys, work was still a driving force in her life and she was dedicated to it.

Things had settled as much as possible since the devastating news of Breha's death, and it seemed both Han and Ben had grown to accept it, though she still saw questions in Ben's eyes from time to time, usually when he reached out to her through the force but instead found her unbreakable mental walls in place.

Given what she felt was a betrayal of Han's trust in her, she felt he loved her much more than she deserved, but she couldn't help but be grateful that he was still there with her and Ben. She both dreaded and welcomed the day Breha would come back in their life, grateful for the joy she would give Han, dreaded because Han would find out the horrific truth of the actions she had taken under Luke's guidance.

But that was the future and for now she was going home to her boys. She keyed her access through the data pad outside the door, and was amused to hear raucous laughter and what could only be wrestling as bodies were punched, pushed, and an occasional thud and the curse which followed. She set her data pad down on the counter in the kitchen and strolled into the living room to see Ben, who had already grown to a height taller than her sitting on Han with his father's arms pinned behind his back.

"You're cheatin!" Han complained.

"Am not!"

"Are too! You can't use the force when you're wrestlin'!"

"But you're bigger than me!"

"That's how it is sometimes, kid!" Han grinned at the floor and threw Ben off of him, flipped him over and pinned him to the floor, his arm over his son's chest.

"Oww! You're not supposed to hurt me!"

"Hurt you? Ha! You're like you're old man, tough as nails!" Han laughed gleefully. "Now try to move me."

Ben snorted, his eyes bright with mischief.

"No, you don't! No cheatin'!"

"But Dad! What about the times I may have to win at any costs?" Ben said and narrowed his eyes as he used the force to push his father off him.

Han swore and grabbed Ben's ankle as the boy started to get up and run from him. Laughing he tripped and knocked over an End Table and all of the items on it, including an expensive vase that had been given to Leia.

"Shit!" Han swore.

"Oh no! Mom's going to kill us!"

"I'll definitely think about it," Leia said surveying the damage as she gave her boys the critical eye.

Han and Ben looked at each other and drew together to face her.

"Remember, Kid, there's strength in numbers."

"It was his fault," Ben said as he pointed at his father.

"Kiss ass," Han complained and smacked Ben on the back of the head.

"I'll let you two figure out how to clean it up because I am going to my room."

"That's it?" Ben gaped at his mother.

"For now." Leia gave him a cool look, but the humor was evident in her face. "If the two of you can manage supper I will consider forgiving you."

Ben and Han stared at each other for a moment and then watched Leia disappear down the hall.

8888888888888888888888888888888888

Leia had just changed into her casual black pants, and large, comfortable, warm green sweater and was surveying herself in the mirror when she felt a pair of welcome warm hands encircle her waist, followed by a pair of warm, familiar lips on her neck, leaving a trail of kisses as he made his way up to her lips.

"Ahh, my destination at last," he breathed in her ear and kissed her lips.

"Pirate."

"Scoundrel, remember?"

"Mercenary."

"I like Pirate better. Will there be plunder later tonight?" He whispered, continued to drop small kisses on her face and neck.

"Should I let you? You broke one of my favorite vases."

"Tell me how I can make it up to you. I will be happy to earn your forgiveness…in whatever manner you deem appropriate."

Leia shivered, this man still knew how to get her excited after these years, and he was working his magic on her because she could feel herself getting warm, and it wasn't the temperature in the room.

"Han, we can't…"

"Yeah, I know. Junior."

"You shouldn't call him that, he isn't Han Junior. Thank God." She rolled her eyes.

"It's not a bad name." He protested. "You seem to like it!" He growled in her ear. "Han! Oh, Han!"

"Stop it!' Leia punched him in the chest.

"Oww, your Worship. You have a wicked right hook."

"That's not all that's wicked," she dropped her voice a suggestive look in her dark eyes.

"Now we're getting somewhere."

"Later."

"You're right." He swooped her in for a long, lingering kiss and then stepped away.

"How's dinner coming?"

"Well, coming is the key word. We ordered take out – I put Ben in charge."

Leia covered her mouth in laughter. "Oh Gods, what will we end up with?"

"He's getting better, we only had leftovers for three days last time."

Leia smiled at her husband. "He is doing better, isn't he?"

"Seems to be. Ever since he got a good diagnosis," he snorted with disdain.

"Split personality disorder is pretty rare, Han."

"Yeah, and our kid got stuck with it," Han sighed and sat on the bed.

"He is having fewer episodes."

"That's somethin' I guess."

"It's a lot be happy about."

"I am it's just…" Han shifted uncomfortably.

"Go on."

"It's the force stuff, it makes things harder for him."

"It does, you're right. And at some point we will need Luke's help."

"Aww, Leia. I know he has the Academy now and is training force sensitives but I don't want Ben to leave. I think he needs to stay with us." Han sighed. "He needs a doctor not a Jedi Master."

Leia sighed. "We've had this discussion before and have agreed to disagree."

"That's fine until we have to make a decision." Han huffed. "Ben doesn't want to go to the academy, he doesn't want to be a Jedi." Han arched an eyebrow. "Neither did you."

Leia was quiet for a bit before she turned to Han. "I think it's the best thing for him. Luke says he can help Ben. You know we can't."

"He says what he could do with that kind of training frightens him," Han said softly.

"Frightens him? When did he tell you that?"

"Don't know, not long ago. He said Kylo wants him to go."

"Kylo." Leia grimaced at the mention of Ben's alter ego, and the way it sent shivers of uneasiness throughout her whenever she thought of his other self-proclaimed name.

"Leia, what is it?"

"Nothing, I just hate Ben has to go through this. But I think it will be all right, I'm sure Luke can help him work around this."

"Leia!" Han began to protest but was interrupted by Ben yelling at them to come and pay for the food that had just arrived. "Okay, later."

"Yeah, just not tonight. I have other plans for you, "the smile he loved was back on her face.

"Promise?"

"Promise, Flyboy."

He gave her a quick kiss again and then dropped an arm around her. "Did you know our son had a great idea for my career change?"

"He did? And what would that be?"

"A Racer." Han's eyes lit with excitement. "I've thought of it before."

"You have mentioned it." Leia eyed him thoughtfully. "And it's dangerous and reckless enough to make you happy, isn't it?"

Han shrugged and gave her his trademark crooked grin. "I dunno, maybe."

"I suppose you should work again. We'll talk." She smiled and patted his cheek.

"Really?" His excitement was almost bursting out of him. "I could be gone a lot."

"And I'm not? It's time you did something you love too."

"Later?" He asked, his hazel eyes alive with an excitement that she hadn't seen in such a long time, an excitement which warmed her heart.

"Definitely, later."

"Come on, you guys! Time for dinner!" Ben yelled from the kitchen.

"Our child demands our presence," Han said in good humor.

Leia squeezed his hand and he dropped his arm around her and leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Love you, Princess."

"Love you too, Nerfherder."

The smell of Corellian takeout wafted throughout the Suite as they approached the kitchen and Han ruffled his son's hair as he passed by him. "Good choice, Kid. I love Corellian."

"Yeah, Dad, I wonder why," Ben smirked as Han went to the door to pay the delivery droid.

"Smart mouth," Han quipped.

"Where'd I get it from?" Ben responded.

Han threw him a look of reproof but Ben saw the amusement and laughed at his Dad.

The scene was precious, valuable, something to store within Leia's memory to always hold within her as she watched father and son interact. She knew these moments couldn't last, that there were more problems for them on the horizon both personal and for the Republic at large. Something was wrong in the galaxy, a dark power was rising and she could feel it but had no way to know what it was yet let alone how to stop it, so for the moment all she could do was watch and wait and hope her family would struggle through whatever was going to happen. They had given enough, they were finally free to enjoy their life, weren't they?

"Come on, boys, stop arguing and dish up the food. Momma's hungry and I haven't decided how to punish you yet for breaking my favorite vase."

Ben stopped joking with his father and his face blanched he had forgotten about the earlier shenanigans and the accident with his mother's things. "I'm sorry, Mom."

"It's okay. Food first and then we talk."

Ben nodded and got out the plates and silverware. Leia turned to Han and wasn't at all surprised to see a happy smirk on his face, and she laughed.

"So you're going to punish me?"

She nodded. "I most certainly am."

"Good. I like to have something to look forward to," he said softly only for her ears.

Ben returned with the plates and serving spoons and regarded at his mother. "Are you going to punish Dad too?"

"Oh, yes. I'll make sure he's punished. He's going to have to work extremely hard to get in my good graces again."

"I'll do whatever I have to," Han said contritely.

"Me too," Ben said with a sigh following Han's example.

"That's all well and good, but I'm still hungry. Food!" She grabbed a plate and began filling her plate. The boys shrugged and following her lead, they all sat down at the dinner table enjoying both the food and the company.

"Mom, I have a great idea for Dad."

"What would that be, honey?"

"He should be a racer. He'd be great at it."

"Oh he would, would he?" Leia raised an eyebrow and smiled, pleased their immediate future seemed happy and calm.

"And we could go see him race."

"You have this all figured out, don't you?"

Ben nodded. "Yeah, it's like this…"

She settled back to enjoy her meal and listen to her son's argument that her Hotshot husband should start a new career. Seeing the smile on Han's face she already knew what her answer would be but she wasn't above listening to them argue their case, so she nodded and listened with serious intent to everything they said, internally at peace with herself for the first time in a long time.

THE END

8888888888888888888888888888888888

AN: _Yes, this really is the end of this story. The intent of this was not to follow their lives all the way up to TFA, but rather have reasons for there to be rifts in Han and Leia' relationship which would allow for TFA to happen. I think this story has set up the possibility for TFA to happen the way it did. This loosely works into the idea of Han being a racer (from Bloodlines)._

 _To this point this story is based on the film world of SW only. My fix-it fic for TFA is up next; Unfinished Business, and it is definitely AU. It's different from any other fix-it fic I have read so far so I hope you will enjoy it._

 _Last chapter listed for this story are ramblings from me. Read or not, agree or not, completely up to you. Thanks for reading my story. Reviews are treasured. Please review._


	30. Chapter 30

**Unravelling – Author's Final Notes**

Thanks for reading my story, your interest is appreciated.

You can read this part or not, it contains my speculation on many things including the things I disagreed with in TFA; my reasoning for making Breha a Solo, and the time line I am using to lead into my AU Post TFA Fix It Fic. You can agree or not with what I say – it's all good – these are my thoughts to take or leave as you will.

 **My Time Line** **Within the Film Universe leading to TFA**

Original Trilogy - movies

Han and Leia married; have Ben; happy for 8 years – assumed backstory

 **Unravelling** – my story

Ben at Home with Han and Leia for 3 years – my backstory

Ben goes to train with Luke/Han races (seems like something Han would do for a time so I'll go with it) and Leia gets more involved in building the New Republic – assumed backstory

Ben goes dark (at what age) kills Luke's students/Han and Leia can't stop fighting and separate for a time -assumed backstory

Leia builds a new resistance/Han smuggles – assumed backstory

TFA happens - movie

 **Unfinished Business** – my AU Post TFA fix-it fiction - story

 _And if you like Unfinished Business please let me know; I could probably be convinced to do a few more stories within my reset post TFA universe._

 **Why I think Breha is a Solo (and for this story, she is)**

In an interview Daisy Ridley was surprised when her friends asked her who Rey's parents were; she thought it was obvious. Obvious means she is a Skywalker and belongs to either Luke or Han/Leia. I am tossing out any other theories. Obvious is Luke. Blatantly obvious is Han/Leia.

She speaks Shyriiwook. I doubt there are many Wookies on Jakku. That means she had to learn it as a child. If Luke was her father she would have had limited exposure to Chewie. If Han is her father she would have heard 'Uncle Chewie' all the time. One of my friends pointed out that she could know it because of the force but that theory doesn't work because both Luke and Leia have the force and it took them a while to understand Chewie.

She flies the Millennium Falcon like Han.

She acts like Han and looks like a younger Leia.

She thinks of Han as her father.

The original trilogy was about the Skywalker twins and the people that orbit around them. Twins run in families, so maybe?

During the filming of TFA a point was made to have Daisy work with both Harrison and Carrie.

From a writing/dramatic perspective it is easy to make her Luke's daughter because when the story exists in the film universe Luke's back story is blank and they can fill it in with pretty much anything they want to; it's relatively easy to add a backstory for Luke which makes Rey his daughter.

It's harder to explain that Rey belongs to Han/Leia as the story would be more convoluted, but also, I think more interesting. Why isn't she with them? What happened? Why don't they recognize each other?

There is more drama to the story if Rey is Han/Leia's daughter. Go back to the scene at the end of Empire where Luke is clinging to the tower after Vadar cut off his hand. What if Vadar had said; "Luke, I am your Uncle." Eww! Weird, and creepy, eww!" would have been my reaction. But instead Vadar said" "Luke, I am your father." "What? That evil bastard is Luke's father!" See the difference in the drama?

Also, if Rey is Han and Leia's daughter, in hindsight it means that Rey didn't see Kylo/Ben murder her uncle; she saw Kylo/Ben murder the father she never knew. There's a lot more weight there and makes for a much more dramatic story.

 **Things I objected to in TFA**

 **Because I objected to these things I wrote this story – Unravelling; the point of it is to set up the possibilities that lead to the things below that happened in TFA.**

Han/Leia separated – in the context of the story that TFA set up I can sort of understand that their son turning to the dark side could have split them up. I still don't think they should have been separated.

Han going back to smuggling – I think he had to have one hell of a reason to go back to this when as a character he had grown so much through the OT. Short of a great reason I don't buy him returning to his old ways (I think the filmmakers were trying to introduce the older Han Solo to a younger generation by making him like his original self)

The theory that Han was a bad father and left his family – I don't believe it for a second.

Han and Leia were bad parents – I don't believe this either. Busy at times, but not bad parents.

Ben turning to the dark side because he worshipped Vadar – I can't believe that he turned for a reason as simplistic as that; there had to be more to it.

Luke disappearing – a good reason is needed for this so far none provided.

 **Speculations**

Rey is a Solo – see above

Han is still alive. I think Disney is screwing with us. Han Solo is arguably the most popular character in the Star Wars franchise and both Disney and Harrison know this. I think they worked out a deal where Harrison didn't have to be in all three movies. Han played a big part in the first movie along with Carrie. My guess is that he will have a small role in The Last Jedi – probably the equivalent of Mark's part. In TFA. He had that damn bushy beard last year about the time that filming of The Last Jedi was wrapping up. And he and Calista were in Spain at the time. It wouldn't have been difficult for Harrison to complete a small bit of filming on a set in Spain (and Spain isn't that far from England either).

Harrison is supposed to be in another Indiana Jones film which is also owned by Disney. They moved the filming date back a year. If Harrison was going to be in SW9 that would allow him time to film it.

In the Original Trilogy, they put Han in carbon freeze for three damn years and we didn't know if he was going to live or die. This could be the same type of thing.

It seems clear that Disney really did want the original characters involved in the resurrection of Star Wars; I'm guessing that TFA was mostly about Han; The Last Jedi is mostly about Luke; and SW9 was supposed to mostly be about Leia with the three of them somehow reuniting in the end. Although that can't really happen due to Carrie's untimely demise, they could still send her off as a force ghost either with Han (if he really is dead), or she could show up as a force ghost to watch after her family once Ben is redeemed.

Luke and Snoke will have an epic fight

Rey and Ben will face off – since Leia will not be in SW9 it will fall to Rey to redeem him (maybe Han if he's still around as Carrie's part will have to be rewritten)

Han has the force? This may stay only my personal headcanon but; Han is far too lucky to have escaped all the things he has. Who flies into and asteroid field (twice!) and survives? Who survives being frozen in carbonite? Who brings a ship into the atmosphere from hyperspace and survives? And in Rogue One, the film seemed to establish that the force can work through someone even if they don't wield it as a force user (Jedi, Sith). And in TFA do you remember the scene where Han and Finn are trying to fight off the First Order and are captured? When they are breaking free as the resistance arrives Han takes a totally blind shot and kills a stormtrooper We all know Han is good with a blaster so why include this screen shot? Something this specific should be explained since they made a point of including it. My theory is that he has been subconsciously using the force his whole life. Would this be a fun revelation? lol

That's it. I'll be quiet now. Thanks for reading!


End file.
